k  "ON 


GIFT    OF 
JANE  Ko 


THE  PATERNITY  OF 
ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

WILLIAM  E.  BARTON 


THE  PATERNITY  OF 
ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

WAS  HE  THE  SON  OF  THOMAS  LINCOLN? 


AN  ESSAY  ON 

THE  CHASTITY  OF  NANCY  HANKS 

BY 

WILLIAM  E.  BARTON 

AUTHOR  OF  "  THE  SOUL  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN,"  ETC. 


NEW  XHr  YORK 
GEORGE  H.  DORAN  COMPANY 


<, 


COPYRIGHT,  1920, 
BY  GEORGE  H.  DORAN  COMPANY 


PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DEDICATED 

TO  THOSE  WHO  HONOR  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 
AND  DESIRE  TO  KNOW  THE  TRUTH 


434549 


PREFACE 

A  LARGE  portion  of  this  volume  was  written  before  the  author 
realized  that  it  had  begun.  In  the  preparation  of  his  former 
book,  The  Soul  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  author  undertook 
a  painstaking  study  of  Lincoln's  successive  environments, 
which  involved,  incidentally,  inquiry  into  his  heredity.  This 
latter  aspect  was  of  secondary  interest,  nor  was  the  author 
greatly  interested  at  the  beginning  in  the  various  theories 
which  he  encountered  as  to  Lincoln's  paternity.  While  he 
made  careful  notes  of  all  material  which  came  to  him  in  his 
researches,  he  had  no  occasion  to  utilize  any  of  the  subject 
matter  in  his  preparation  of  the  other  volume,  nor  did  he 
expect  to  write  this  one. 

As  he  proceeded,  however,  he  was  surprised  to  find  a  num 
ber  of  intelligent  collectors  of  Lincoln  books  and  students  of 
his  history  who  believed  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  not  the 
son  of  Thomas  Lincoln.  He  also  found  that  while  Mrs.  Hitch 
cock  had  done  enthusiastic  work  with  reference  to  the  pater 
nity  of  Nancy  Hanks,  and  several  people  had  entered  the  lists 
as  champions  of  her  chastity,  no  one  so  far  as  he  could  learn 
had  compiled  the  various  theories  adverse  to  Thomas  Lin 
coln's  paternity  of  Abraham  and  subjected  them  to  a  critical 
examination. 

Moreover,  the  author  found  himself  at  length  compelled 
to  ask  of  himself  the  question,  What  if  these  reports  are  true? 
And  he  pursued  his  investigations  with  an  open  mind,  and, 
as  he  hopes  and  believes,  in  accordance  with  the  true  spirit 
of  historical  inquiry. 

The  author  had  frequent  occasion  to  visit  the  county  of 
Lincoln's  birth  and  other  portions  of  Kentucky  in  quest  of 
material  for  his  previous  book,  and  he  made  careful  inquiry 
on  the  ground,  by  personal  interview,  supplemented  by  ex 
tended  correspondence  with  all  persons  there  and  elsewhere 

vii 


viii  PREFACE 

who  seemed  at  all  likely  to  be  able  to  give  him  any  informa 
tion  favorable  or  unfavorable  to  the  view  which  he  per 
sonally  was  disposed  to  accept. 

All  this  material  was  reduced  to  writing  as  it  accumulated, 
and  carefully  preserved  with  the  large  quantity  of  Lincoln 
matter  which  was  assembled  in  the  course  of  an  industrious 
study  of  the  whole  life  of  Lincoln;  for,  in  addition  to  the  book 
already  published  entitled  The  Soul  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and 
the  present  monograph,  the  author  hopes  and  expects  to  issue 
a  work  more  strictly  biographical  and  containing  a  character 
study  of  America's  great  commoner  and  liberator. 

By  the  time  the  author  had  arrived  at  a  definite,  and  as  it 
appears  to  him,  a  final,  opinion  regarding  the  paternity  of 
Lincoln,  it  became  evident  that  he  had  in  his  possession 
material  for  a  book,  and  that  no  such  book  was  already  in 
existence. 

The  author  has  endeavored  to  trace  every  rumor  and  re 
port  relating  to  the  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  to  assemble  all 
the  available  evidence  in  favor  of  it  and  against  it,  to  judge 
each  one  of  these  reports  upon  its  own  merits,  and  to  render 
what,  he  believes,  is  a  judgment  from  which  there  can  be  no 
successful  appeal. 

From  the  time  it  became  evident  to  his  own  mind  that  he 
must  write  a  book  on  this  subject,  the  author  determined  to 
make  it  unnecessary  for  any  one  else  ever  to  do  so;  and  he 
sincerely  believes  that  in  this  he  has  succeeded.  It  appears  to 
him  quite  certain  that  no  previous  writer  has  made  anything 
approaching  a  thorough  investigation  of  this  subject,  though 
many  have  treated  it  more  or  less  confidently. 

There  exists  in  some  quarters  an  impression  that  the  stories 
concerning  the  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln  which  were  once 
widely  current  were  completely  disposed  of  by  the  discovery 
of  the  marriage  bond  and  the  minister's  return  of  marriage 
of  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks.  The  discovery  of  that 
document  was  important,  as  this  book  will  show;  but  it  is 
probably  true  that  those  stories  were  never  so  widely  current 
as  they  are  today.  They  have  passed  the  acute  stage  of  curious 
gossip,  and  have  their  respectable  place  in  literature  and 


PREFACE  ix 

oratory.  At  least  one  man  is  even  now  busy  in  the  preparation 
of  a  book  intended  to  prove  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  not  the 
son  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  and  there  may  be  ten  men  at  work  on 
books,  more  or  less  conclusive,  intended  to  prove  that  he  was. 
The  English  biographies  of  Lincoln,  now  appearing  in  con 
siderable  number,  including  Charnwood's,  and  the  Encyclo 
pedia  Britannica,  give  serious  attention  to  these  reports;  and 
American  authors  do  not  feel  at  liberty  to  publish  their 
books  without  somewhere  intimating  that  they  are  at  least 
familiar  with  these  stories.  Beside  books  formally  devoted 
to  the  study  of  Lincoln,  a  very  large  number  of  other  volumes 
are  issued  in  which  some  reference  to  Lincoln  occurs,  and 
many  of  these  make  more  or  less  direct  allusion  to  these  re 
ports.  Colonel  Watterson's  interesting  autobiography,  "  Marse 
Henry, "  devotes  a  half  dozen  pages  to  "  that  calumny  "  and 
to  the  like  report  concerning  Andrew  Johnson. 

As  for  oratory,  the  temptation  is  far  too  great  for  the 
average  speaker  to  resist,  and  it  offers  an  attractive  field  to 
orators  who  are  beyond  the  average.  In  Chicago,  on  Lin 
coln's  Birthday  in  1920,  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolu 
tion  listened  to  an  able  address  by  a  distinguished  lawyer,  him 
self  the  author  of  a  valuable  book  on  Abraham  Lincoln,  a 
considerable  part  of  which  address  was  devoted  to  the  state 
ment  and  refutation  of  these  stories;  but  he  did  not  succeed 
in  refuting  them.  That  address  the  author  of  this  volume 
heard;  it  was  a  notable  address,  but  in  this  portion  it  failed 
completely.  The  old  Presiding  Elder  in  the  Methodist  Church 
gave  wise  advice  to  a  young  minister  who  was  much  given  to 
superficial  refutations  of  the  arguments  of  infidelity, — "  Never 
raise  the  devil  unless  you  are  sure  you  can  lay  him." 

At  the  same  hour  and  in  the  same  city  where  the  address 
referred  to  in  the  preceding  paragraph  was  delivered,  another 
distinguished  lawyer,  a  man  of  high  character  and  large  ability, 
was  delivering  an  address  on  "  The  Lineage  of  Lincoln  "  at  a 
patriotic  gathering  held  in  Memorial  Hall  in  the  Chicago  Pub 
lic  Library.  It  was  an  address  that  displayed  great  industry  of 
the  painstaking  sort  which  characterizes  the  work  of  this  emi 
nent  attorney  and  has  won  him  wide  repute  at  the  bar,  but  it 


x  PREFACE 

was  inconclusive.  He  did  not  know  all  the  facts  which  he 
needed  to  know. 

What  happened  in  Chicago  probably  occurred  on  the  same 
day  in  other  cities;  such  addresses  are  to  be  numbered  by  the 
hundred  if  not  by  the  thousand.  They  are  delivered  with  the 
best  of  intentions,  but  their  zeal  is  not  always  according  to 
knowledge,  and  they  serve  to  disseminate  yet  more  widely  the 
stories  which  they  inconclusively  oppose. 

We  are  not  at  liberty,  therefore,  to  treat  the  subject  of  the 
paternity  of  Abraham  Lincoln  as  one  that  may  safely  be  dis 
missed  with  silent  contempt.  If  any  one  knows  the  truth  about 
this  matter,  he  ought  to  tell  it. 

The  present  author  believes  that  he  knows  the  truth  about 
the  paternity  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  His  investigation  has  in 
volved  no  little  travel  and  research.  He  believes  that  the 
truth  ought  to  be  known,  and  that  the  truth  is  better  than  either 
falsehood  or  uncertainty.  That  is  why  he  has  decided  to 
pursue  to  the  end  the  rather  unwelcome  task  which  grew  out 
of  his  previous  study,  and  which  this  book  completes.  And  he 
does  not  expect  to  refer  to  it  in  any  subsequent  book  about 
Abraham  Lincoln;  nor  does  he  apprehend  that  such  reference 
will  be  necessary. 

This  volume  may  be  considered  as  a  footnote  to  the  au 
thor's  book,  The  Soul  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  a  suppressed 
preface  to  the  Life  of  Lincoln  which  he  hopes  to  publish  at 
some  future  date.  In  that  volume  he  does  not  now  intend 
to  make  any  extended  reference  to  the  material  in  this  book, 
but  its  conclusion  will  be  assumed. 

The  author  believes  that  he  has  gathered  all  important 
material  bearing  upon  the  question  of  Abraham  Lincoln's 
paternity,  and  this  volume  contains  all  the  material  which  a 
diligent  search  has  brought  to  his  knowledge  bearing  upon  that 
subject.  Pursuing  these  investigations  with  an  open  mind,  he 
has  reached  for  himself  a  definite  conclusion,  which  together 
with  the  evidence  upon  which  it  rests,  he  submits  herewith  in 
confidence  that  on  the  more  important  aspects  of  the  question 
there  remains  henceforth  not  very  much  more  to  be  said. 

As   compared  with  my  previous  book  on  Lincoln,   the 


PREFACE  xi 

preparation  of  this  work  has  called  for  comparatively  little 
use  of  books.  My  obligations  for  such  books  as  I  have  used, 
and  some  measure  of  my  indebtedness  to  correspondents,  is 
indicated  in  the  text;  but  I  shall  not  be  able  to  acknowledge 
in  full  my  debt  to  those  who  have  made  researches  for  me.  I 
venture  to  name  some  of  those  to  whom  my  obligation  is 
largest. 

Among  libraries  and  librarians,  I  owe  much  to  Miss  Caro 
line  M.  Mcllvaine,  and  the  Library  of  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society;  to  Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber  and  Miss  Georgia  L.  Os- 
borne,  and  the  Library  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society 
at  Springfield;  to  Mr.  A.  P.  C.  Griffin,  Chief  Assistant 
Librarian,  and  the  Library  of  Congress  in  Washington;  to 
Mr.  J.  H.  Turtle  and  the  Library  of  the  Massachusetts  His 
torical  Society ;  to  Miss  Euphemia  B.  Corwin  and  Mrs.  Florence 
Ridgway  of  the  Library  of  Berea  College,  Kentucky;  to  Mrs. 
Charles  F.  Norton  and  the  Library  of  Transylvania  Univer 
sity  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and  to  Miss  Helen  Bagley  and 
the  Oak  Park  Public  Library. 

For  assistance  in  correspondence  and  research  I  name 
among  those  who  have  helped  me  most: 

Mr.  O.  M.  Mather,  Mr.  L.  B.  Handley,  Judge  Richard  W. 
Creal,  Mr.  Charles  F.  Creal,  Mr.  Robert  Enlow  and  Rev.  Louis 
A.  Warren,  all  of  Hodgenville,  Kentucky;  Mr.  G.  H.  Geiger 
of  Anderson,  South  Carolina;  Hon.  James  H.  Cathey  of 
Sylva,  North  Carolina;  Mr.  D.  J.  Knotts  of  Swansea,  South 
Carolina;  Mr.  L.  S.  Pence  of  Lebanon,  Kentucky;  Mr.  George 
Holbert  of  Elizabethtown,  Kentucky;  Mr.  Jesse  W.  Weik  of 
Greencastle,  Indiana;  Hon.  Clinton  L.  Conkling,  Hon.  Hardin 
W.  Masters,  Hon.  G.  W.  Murray  and  Mr.  H.  E.  Barker  of 
Springfield,  Illinois;  Mr.  Hugh  McLellan  of  Champlain,  New 
York,  Mr.  Truman  H.  Bartlett  of  Boston;  Hon.  Daniel  Fish  of 
Minneapolis;  Mr.  Arthur  E.  Morgan  of  Dayton,  Ohio;  Mr. 
Judd  Stewart  of  New  York  City;  Mr.  F.  H.  Meserve  of  New 
York  City;  Mr.  Oliver  R.  Barrett  of  Chicago;  Mr.  Charles 
F.  Gunther,  deceased,  of  Chicago ;  Mr.  Joseph  Polin  of  Spring 
field,  Kentucky;  and  Mr.  O.  H.  Oldroyd  of  Washington.  Mr. 
Stewart  died  as  this  book  was  nearing  press. 


xii  PREFACE 

This  is  far  from  being  a  complete  list.  Some  additional 
names  will  appear  in  the  text.  As  for  the  others,  I  can  only 
say  that  I  have  endeavored  to  secure  information  from  every 
one  from  whom  it  seemed  possible  to  obtain  any,  and  I  thank 
all  who  assisted  me. 

The  author  is  not  unaware  that  it  is  easy  for  writers  to 
overestimate  the  importance  of  their  own  writings,  and  to 
attach  undue  weight  to  their  conclusions.  Nevertheless,  he 
wishes  to  affirm  that  in  the  preparation  of  this  book  he  has 
reached  a  complete  and  final  answer  to  the  many  questions 
which  were  forced  upon  him  at  the  beginning  and  at  different 
stages  of  its  preparation.  He  is  sending  this  volume  to  the 
press  with  the  profound  conviction  that  it  contains  the  truth, 
and  the  whole  truth,  and  that  its  conclusions  are  irrefutable. 

W.  E.  B. 

First  Church  Study, 
Oak  Park,  Illinois, 
August,  1920. 


CONTENTS 

PART  I:  THE  NATURE  AND  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE 

INQUIRY 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  THE  SEVEN  SIRES  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN    .  .  17 

II  Is  SUCH  AN  INQUIRY  WORTH  WHILE?      .  .  22 

III  THE  SOIL  IN  WHICH  THESE  STORIES  GREW  .  35 

IV  WHAT  DID  LINCOLN  THINK  ABOUT  IT?    .  .  38 
V  WHAT  DID  LAMON  THINK  ABOUT  IT?     .  .  41 

VI    WHAT  DID  HERNDON  THINK  ABOUT  IT?  .       .      49 
VII    THE  COLEMAN  PAMPHLET 55 

PART  II:  THE  STORIES  AND  THE  EVIDENCE  IN 
SUPPORT  OF  THEM 

VIII    ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN  COUNTY,  KEN 
TUCKY     65 

IX    GEORGE  BROWNFIELD 69 

X    ABRAHAM  INLOW  OF  BOURBON  COUNTY,  KEN 
TUCKY     72 

XI    ABRAHAM  ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA      .       .  74 

XII    THE  HARDIN  STORY 105 

XIII  CHIEF  JUSTICE  MARSHALL  AND  ANDREW    .       .  107 

XIV  JOHN  C.  CALHOUN 113 

PART  III:  A  CRITICAL  AND  CONSTRUCTIVE 
ANALYSIS 

XV    THE  BURDEN  OF  PROOF 149 

XVI    ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN  COU.NTY,  KEN 
TUCKY     157 

xiii 


XIV 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XVII  ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  ELIZABETHTOWN       .        .186 

XVIII    GEORGE  BROWNFIELD 189 

XIX    ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  OF  OHIO 192 

XX  ABRAHAM  INLOW  OF  BOURBON  COUNTY      .       .  195 

XXI    THE  HARDIN  STORY 200 

XXII  ABRAHAM  ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA      .       .  203 

XXIII  CHIEF  JUSTICE  MARSHALL  AND  ANDREW     .       .  207 

XXIV  JOHN  C.  CALHOUN 214 

XXV  Do  THESE  STORIES  SUPPORT  EACH  OTHER?       .  227 

XXVI    A  SCHOOL  FOR  SCANDAL 231 

XXVII    A  FEW  FIXED  DATES 244 

XXVIII  WHAT  WE  KNOW  ABOUT  THOMAS  LINCOLN     .  257 

XXIX  WHAT  WE  KNOW  ABOUT  NANCY  HANKS  .       .  272 

XXX  DID  LINCOLN  HONOR  His  FATHER?     ...  287 

XXXI  DID  LINCOLN  HONOR  His  MOTHER?  ...  298 

XXXII  A  FINAL  WORD  ABOUT  HERNDOIN       ...  303 

XXXIII  THE  ORIGIN  AND  DESTINY  OF  THESE  STORIES  .  312 

PART  IV:  APPENDICES 

I  REV.  JESSE  HEAD      .       .       .       .       .       .       .  325 

II  WITNESSES  TO  THE  MARRIAGE  OF  THOMAS  AND 

NANCY  LINCOLN 336 

III  THOMAS  LINCOLN  AS  A  LANDHOLDER  .       .       .  345 

IV  HERNDON'S  ATTITUDE  TOWARD  LINCOLN   .       .  360 
V  THE  SUPPRESSED  PAGES  OF  THE  REED  LECTURE  .  367 

VI  WASHINGTON  COUNTY  AFFIDAVITS      .       .       .  372 

VII    LA  RUE  COUNTY  AFFIDAVITS 377 

VIII  WHERE  WAS  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  BORN?  .       .  384 

IX  DOCUMENTS  OF  THE  LINCOLN  FAMILY      .       .  395 

X    HANKS  MEMORANDA 400 

XI  WAS  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  A  GERMAN?  .       .       .  409 

INDEX 411 


PART  I:  THE  NATURE  AND  IMPORTANCE 
OF  THE  INQUIRY 


PART  I:  THE  NATURE  AND  IMPORTANCE 
OF  THE  INQUIRY 

CHAPTER  I 
THE  SEVEN  SIRES  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

WHEN,  in  1860,  Abraham  Lincoln  became  a  candidate  for  the 
Presidency  of  the  United  'States,  but  little  was  known  of  him 
in  his  own  nation  and  in  the  world,  and  less  concerning  his 
antecedents.  The  biographical  sketches  which  he  furnished  to 
Jesse  W.  Fell  in  1859  or  1860  and  somewhat  later  to  John 
Locke  Scripps,  exhibited  marked  reserve  on  the  subject  of 
his  family  history,  especially  on  his  mother's  side.  In  these 
sketches  furnished  by  Lincoln  himself,  the  Lincoln  line  was 
indicated  for  several  generations,  from  Berks  County,  Penn 
sylvania,  through  Virginia  to  Kentucky,  whence  in  his  own 
childhood  his  father  had  migrated  in  1816  into  Southern  In 
diana,  and  in  1830,  the  year  of  Abraham's  majority,  into 
Illinois. 

The  meagerness  of  the  information  did  not  escape  comment 
at  the  time,  and  vague  and  nebulous  rumors  were  current  in 
the  campaign  of  1860  that  Abraham  Lincoln  had  little  occa 
sion  for  pride  in  his  birth.  In  1864,  the  campaign  was  waged 
with  great  bitterness,  the  Copperhead  press  stopping  at  noth 
ing  that  would  belittle  him,  and  the  rumors  became  more 
widely  extended.  So  far  as  the  writer  is  aware,  however,  these 
did  not  emerge  into  print.  The  writer  has  seen  a  considerable 
body  of  hostile  political  literature,  much  of  it  issued  by  the 
Society  for  the  Diffusion  of  Political  Knowledge,  of  which 
Prof.  S.  F.  B.  Morse,  inventor  of  the  telegraph,  was  President, 
and  while  Lincoln  is  mercilessly  criticized,  lampooned  and 
caricatured,  the  writer  has  not  seen  in  print  any  direct  charge 
that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  illegitimate,  or  that  his  mother 

17 


18    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

was  illegitimate,  that  was  published  during  either  of  the 
two  campaigns  in  which  Lincoln  was  running  for  the  Presi 
dency.  That  the  rumors  were  in  circulation  by  1864,  is,  how 
ever,  certain. 

The  gravamen  of  these  rumors,  and  the  definite  charges 
subsequently  printed  in  various  forms,  is  two-fold.  The  first 
of  these  is  that  his  mother,  Nancy  Hanks,  was  a  bastard. 
Her  mother,  Lucy  Hanks,  it  is  alleged,  being  at  that  time 
unmarried,  bore  her,  in  Virginia,  in  1783.  Subsequently 
Lucy  Hanks  married  Henry  Sparrow,  and  the  illegitimate 
daughter  of  Lucy  was,  by  the  Hanks  family,  called  Nancy 
Sparrow.  But  that,  it  is  affirmed,  was  not  her  name.  Her 
father,  so  it  is  alleged,  and  so  her  son  Abraham  Lincoln  is 
alleged  to  have  believed,  was  a  Virginia  planter  of  good 
family,  through  whom  Nancy  inherited  qualities  which  dis 
tinguished  her  as  superior  to  her  own  family,  qualities  which 
she  transmitted  to  her  son,  Abraham,  and  which  largely  made 
him  the  great  man  whom  he  afterward  became. 

The  other  rumor,  which  has  become  a  definite  allegation, 
printed  in  several  forms,  is  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  an 
illegitimate  child;  that  his  mother,  Nancy  Hanks,  either  be 
fore  or  subsequent  to  her  marriage  with  Thomas  Lincoln,  if 
indeed  she  was  married  to  him,  became  the  mother  of  a  son 
whose  father  was  other  than  Thomas  Lincoln. 

In  some  forms  this  rumor  alleges  that  she  was  pregnant 
when  Thomas  Lincoln  married  her;  in  others  that  the  child 
was  already  born,  but  an  infant;  in  others  that  he  was  "  old 
enough  to  run  around,"  and  that  "  he  sat  between  Thomas 
and  Nancy  when  they  went  away  to  be  married."  In  others 
the  implication  is  that  he  was  begotten  in  adultery,  Lincoln 
and  his  wife  having  been  married,  and  she  proving  unfaithful 
to  her  marriage  vows. 

The  name  of  Abraham  Lincoln's  father  is  variously  given 
by  those  who  hold  to  the  truth  of  this  rumor.  He  is  alleged 
to  have  been  a  grandson  of  Chief- Justice  John  Marshall,  or  a 
son  of  John  C.  Calhoun;  and  several  other  names,  noted  in 
Kentucky  and  the  older  states  to  the  east  of  it,  are  men- 


SEVEN  SIRES  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN    19 

tioned  each  with  more  or  less  confidence  as  that  of  his  father. 

Certain  family  names  that  were  current  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  his  birth  have  also  been  mentioned,  among  them 
that  of  Abraham  Enlow,  Mow  or  Enloe.  According  to  a 
very  widespread  rumor,  current  in  various  forms  in  several 
sections  of  the  South,  Lincoln  received  his  name  of  Abraham 
from  his  real  father,  Abraham  Enlow,  Enloe  or  Inlow,  and 
his  surname  from  his  putative  father,  Thomas  Lincoln,  who 
either  than  was  or  later  became  the  husband  of  Nancy  Hanks, 
the  mother  of  the  future  President. 

With  the  first  of  these  two  questions  the  present  book  has 
no  concern.  Mrs.  Caroline  Hanks  Hitchcock  published  in 
1899  her  little  book  entitled  "  Nancy  Hanks,"  and  she  and 
Miss  Ida  M.  Tarbell  in  their  researches  obtained  information 
which  satisfied  them  that  Nancy  Hanks  was  of  legitimate  birth. 
The  large  work  of  Lea  and  Hutchinson,  while  following 
primarily  the  Lincoln  line  in  England,  practically  confines 
its  American  research  concerning  the  immediate  progenitors 
of  Lincoln  to  the  work  already  done  by  Mrs.  Hitchcock, 
and  accepts  her  conclusions  apparently  without  independent 
investigation  of  the  maternal  line  of  Abraham  Lincoln's  an 
cestry. 

The  present  writer  has  no  occasion  to  traverse  this  ground. 
It  is  not  the  field  of  his  chief  interest,  nor,  so  far  as  he  can 
judge,  is  it  the  more  important  half  of  the  inquiry.  We 
should  be  glad  to  know  that  Abraham  Lincoln's  grandmothers 
and  great-grandmothers  were  virtuous  to  all  generations;  but 
we  know  that  few  families  can  go  back  many  generations 
without  finding  the  bar  sinister  somewhere  upon  the  family 
escutcheon;  and  every  man  or  woman  who  boasts  of  descent 
from  William  the  Conqueror  confesses  with  more  or  less 
of  pride  to  that  condition  of  his  own  family  register.  Each 
receding  generation  divides  by  two  the  feeling  of  moral  ob 
liquity,  and  each  quarter  century  of  remoteness  lessens  the 
feeling  of  disgrace.  If  Nancy  Hanks  was  born  in  lawful 
wedlock,  the  fact  is  of  interest;  but  it  is  nothing  like  as  im 
portant  as  it  is  to  find  whether  she  herself  was  a  virtuous 


20    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

woman,  and  her  son,  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
the  legitimate  son  of  her  husband,  whose  name  Abraham 
Lincoln  bore. 

This  book,  therefore,  confines  itself  wholly  to  the  ques 
tion  of  the  paternity  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

"  Regarding  the  paternity  of  Lincoln  a  great  many  sur 
mises  and  a  still  larger  amount  of  unwritten  or,  at  least,  un 
published  history  have  drifted  into  the  currents  of  western 
lore  and  journalism.  A  number  of  such  traditions  are  extant 
in  Kentucky  and  other  localities." 

So  wrote  William  H.  Herndon  in  1889  in  the  first  volume 
of  the  first  edition  of  his  much  discussed  Life  of  Lincoln. 
He  added  that  his  associate,  Mr.  Jesse  W.  Weik,  had  devoted 
much  time  to  investigating  one  of  these  traditions,  which  he 
outlined,  and  which  we  shall  have  occasion  to  consider  in  de 
tail.  This  paragraph  is  interesting  for  many  reasons.  Among 
others,  it  shows  that  on  Herndon's  first  investigation  there 
was  more  than  one  story.  There  are  several  now.  The 
author  of  this  present  volume  has  made  diligent  search,  and 
has  tabulated  all  the  rumors  and  definite  charges  which  he 
has  been  able  to  secure.  Some  of  them  are  too  vague  to 
be  certainly  identified,  but  even  these  will  be  alluded  to,  with 
whatever  is  to  be  said  for  and  against  them.  The  chief 
stories  permit  of  grouping  under  seven  definite  heads,  and 
they  charge  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  not  the  son  of  Thomas 
Lincoln,  but  was  the  son  of  another  man,  who  is  named  with 
evidence,  in  some  cases  more  and  in  other  cases  less  circum 
stantial,  intended  to  show  that  some  man  other  than  Thomas 
Lincoln  was  Abraham  Lincoln's  father. 

The  author  has  catalogued  these  allegations.  The  seven 
men,  other  than  Thomas  Lincoln,  who  are  credited  with  the 
paternity  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  whose  claims  to  that 
honor  we  shall  consider  at  length,  are  the  following: 

1.  Abraham  Enlow,  a  farmer,  of  Hardin  County,  Ken 

tucky. 

2.  George  Brownfield,  a  farmer,  of  Hardin  County,  Ken 

tucky. 


SEVEN  SIRES  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN    21 

3.  Abraham   Inlow,   a  miller,   of   Bourbon  County,   Ken 

tucky. 

4.  Andrew,   an  alleged   foster  son   of   Chief -Justice  John 

Marshall. 

5.  Abraham  Enloe,  of  Swain  County,  North  Carolina. 

6.  John  C.  Calhoun,  of  South  Carolina. 

7.  Martin  D.  Hardin,  of  Kentucky. 

It  would  have  been  possible  to  increase  the  number  be 
yond  seven,  but  several  stories  that  at  first  appeared  to  be 
distinct  resolved  themselves  into  separate  forms  of  the  same 
story.  These  several  forms  will  all  be  considered  either  in 
the  presentation  of  the  evidence  or  in  its  analysis.  We  will 
also  consider  one  or  two  of  these  stories  that  had  more  or 
less  vogue  for  a  time  and  then  disappeared.  This  book  under 
takes  to  be  complete,  so  far  as  the  author's  information  and 
research  have  enabled  him  to  gather  material,  and  he  thinks 
that  he  has  discerned  and  here  recorded  all  that  is  of  any 
value,  and  some  beside.  But  he  has  kept  the  number  of 
Lincoln's  alleged  fathers  down  to  seven,  in  addition  to  Thomas 
Lincoln,  who  also  is  to  be  considered. 

"  Seven  cities  strove  for  Homer  dead, 
Through  which  the  living  Homer  begged  his  bread." 

Seven  men  are  now  adduced  as  the  alleged  fathers  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  few  if  any  of  whom,  if  living  in  1860, 
would  have  voted  for  him.  But  that  does  not  settle  the  ques 
tion  of  his  paternity.  It  only  illustrates  the  complexity  of 
the  task  which  he  assumes  who  undertakes  to  trace  these 
rumors  and  discover  what  truth,  if  any,  lies  at  their  root. 


CHAPTER   II 
IS  SUCH  AN  INQUIRY  WORTH  WHILE? 

THE  reader  of  the  foregoing  chapter  will  be  quite  certain 
to  ask  himself  at  this  point,  Is  any  such  inquiry  worth  while? 
What  does  it  matter,  anyway  ?  Why  not  let  all  such  rumors 
alone  ? 

Let  him  be  assured  that  the  author  has  asked  himself  the 
same  questions  and  many  others.  The  answers  that  have 
come  to  him  are,  first,  that  it  does  matter,  and  that  the  truth 
is  better  than  any  form  of  falsehood,  and  very  much  better 
than  so  many  kinds  of  falsehood  that  one  cannot  be  sure 
which  of  them  to  choose. 

But  a  more  important  answer  is  that  we  are  not  per 
mitted  to  choose  whether  these  rumors  shall  die  out  or  not. 
They  persist.  They  were  in  active  circulation  before  the 
death  of  Lincoln,  and  troubled  him;  and  they  have  to  be 
reckoned  with  by  every  serious  student  of  the  life  of  Lin 
coln.  It  is  better,  so  the  author  has  come  to  believe,  that 
these  be  dragged  into  the  open,  and  met  on  their  merits.  If 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  not  the  son  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  it  is 
time  the  world  knew  whose  son  he  was.  If  he  was  the  son 
of  Thomas  Lincoln,  those  who  deny  that  fact  should  be 
refuted. 

Abraham  Lincoln  had  his  own  homely  phrase  for  inves 
tigations  of  this  character.  He  used  it  more  than  once,  and 
always  effectively.  In  1864  a  story  was  industriously  cir 
culated,  for  which  General  George  B.  McClellan  must  have 
been  in  some  measure  personally  responsible,  that  Lincoln, 
visiting  the  field  of  A'ntietam  just  after  the  battle,  caused 
himself  to  be  amused  by  the  singing  of  vulgar  songs  within 
sight  and  hearing  of  the  burial  of  the  dead.  This  story  was 
published  in  New  York  papers,  and,  while  grossly  untrue, 

225 


IS  THE  INQUIRY  WORTH  WHILE?    23 

had  in  it  just  enough  of  truth  to  make  it  difficult  to  refute.1 
Lincoln's  associate  in  this  affair,  and  the  man  who  actually 
sang,  though  not  while  the  burials  were  in  progress, 

"I've  wandered  to  the  village,  Tom, 

I've  sat  beneath  the  tree, 
Upon  the  school-house  playground, 
That  sheltered  you  and  me  ", — 

was  Colonel  Ward  Hill  Lamon,  who,  when  the  story  ap 
peared  in  New  York  papers,  wished  to  rush  into  print  with 
a  hot  denial.  Lincoln  read  Lamon's  proposed  communica 
tion,  and  doubted  the  wisdom  of  publishing  it.  Instead  he 
wrote,  in  the  third  person,  an  account  of  the  event,  which, 
however,  he  later  decided  not  to  print.  It  was  published  in 
fac-simile  many  years  afterwards.  Lincoln,  declining  the  well- 
meant  but  too  belligerent  offices  of  Lamon,  said : 

"  No,  Hill.  Leave  this  to  me.  Every  man  must  skin  his 
own  skunk." 

Abraham  Lincoln  would  gladly  have  skinned  for  himself 
the  unpleasant  story  of  his  paternity  if  it  had  been  possible 
for  him  to  do  so;  and  beyond  a  doubt  would  have  done  it  in 
the  third  person,  a  method  he  employed  in  other  delicate  mat 
ters.  But  this  was  a  matter  which  Lincoln  was  unable  to 
confront  and  settle.  He  knew  of  these  stories,  and  how 
much  he  believed  of  them  .we  shall  presently  undertake  to 
learn;  but  he  lacked  the  facts  necessary  to  their  settlement. 
Indeed,  his  own  futile  efforts  to  learn  something  more  of 
his  ancestry  had  something  to  do  with  the  origin  of  some 
of  the  rumors,  and  warned  him  to  desist.  This  was  a  skunk 
he  would  gladly  have  skinned  if  he  could,  and  he  would  have 
been  profoundly  grateful  to  any  man  who  could  have  nailed 
its  pelt  to  the  barn-door,  and  scrubbed  his  hands  with  a  gourd 

1  While  General  McClellan  was  not  named  as  the  author,  still  it 
is  impossible  to  relieve  him  from  a  share  in  the  moral  responsibility  for 
this  story.  He  was  present  when  the  incident  occurred,  and  was  dis 
pleased  with  what  happened,  and  when  the  reports  were  published  he 
did  not  deny  or  modify  them,  though  he  was  named  as  a  witness.  This 
fact,  and  also  the  fact  that  his  candidate  for  Vice-President,  Hon. 
George  H.  Pendleton,  advertised  his  campaign  speeches  in  a  pamphlet  in 
which  Lincoln  was  proclaimed  "  the  Rebel  Candidate,"  illustrate  the 
amenities  of  that  campaign. 


24    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

of  soft  soap  at  the  spring  before  returning  to  receive  the 
reward  of  his  valuable  labor. 

But  it  is  a  fair  question  now,  and  one  which  the  author 
has  earnestly  asked  of  himself,  whether  at  this  day  the  skin 
is  worth  the  removing,  and  whether  it  would  not  be  better 
to  bury  the  carcase  as  it  is. 

On  this  matter  the  author  has  come  to  a  definite  answer 
in  his  own  mind.  If  he  could  bury  the  matter  just  as  it  is, 
he  would.  But  it  cannot  be  done.  Every  biographer  of 
Lincoln  finds  the  unburied  and  unskinned  skunk  in  his  path. 
Some  authors  walk  around  it,  visibly  holding  their  noses. 
Others  take  a  contemptuous  kick  at  it,  and  pass  on,  but  leave 
the  odor  behind  their  well-meant  allusion.  Each  of  them 
disclaims  responsibility  for  the  actual  skinning. 

Miss  Ida  M.  Tarbell  has  thus  written  of  the  several  stories 
of  Lincoln's  illegitimacy: 

Among  the  many  wrongs  of  history — and  they  are  legion 
— there  is  none  in  our  American  chapter  at  least  which  is 
graver  than  that  which  has  been  done  to  the  parents,  and 
particularly  the  mother,  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Of  course,  I 
refer  to  the  tradition  that  Lincoln  was  born  of  that  class 
known  in  the  South  as  "  poor  whites/'  that  his  father  was 
not  Thomas  Lincoln,  as  his  biographers  insist  on  declar 
ing,  but  a  rich  and  cultured  planter  of  another  State  than 
Kentucky,  and  that  his  mother  not  only  gave  a  fatherless 
boy  to  the  world,  but  herself  was  a  nameless  child.  The 
tradition  has  always  lacked  particularity.  For  instance,  there 
has  been  large  difference  of  opinion  about  the  planter  who 
fathered  Abraham,  who  he  was  and  where  he  came  from. 
One  story  calls  him  Enloe,  another  Calhoun,  another  Har- 
din,  and  several  States  claim  him.  Only  five  years  ago  [in 
1899]  a  book  was  published  in  North  Carolina  to  prove  that 
Lincoln's  father  was  a  resident  of  that  State.  The  bulk  of 
the  testimony  offered  in  this  instance  came  from  men  and 
women  who  had  been  born  long  after  Abraham  Lincoln, 
had  never  seen  him,  and  never  heard  the  tale  they  repeated 
until  long  after  his  election  to  the  Presidency.  Of  the  truth 
of  these  statements  as  to  Lincoln's  origin  no  proof  has  ever 
been  produced.  There  were  rumors,  diligently  spread  in  the 


IS  THE  INQUIRY  WORTH  WHILE?    25 

first  place  by  those  who  for  political  reasons  were  glad  to 
belittle  a  political  opponent.  They  grew  with  telling,  and 
curiously  enough,  two  of  Lincoln's  best  friends  helped  per 
petuate  them — Messrs.  Lamon  and  Herndon — both  of  whom 
wrote  lives  of  the  President  which  are  of  great  interest  and 
value.  But  neither  of  these  men  was  a  student,  and  they 
did  not  take  the  trouble  to  look  for  the  records  of  Mr.  Lin 
coln's  birth.  They  accepted  rumors  and  enlarged  upon  them. 
Indeed,  it  was  not  until  perhaps  twenty-five  years  ago  that 
the  matter  was  taken  up  seriously  and  an  investigation  be 
gun.  This  has  been  going  on  at  intervals  ever  since,  and  I 
venture  to  say  that  few  persons  born  in  a  pioneer  community, 
as  Lincoln  was,  and  as  early  as  1809,  have  their  lineage  as 
clearly  established  as  that  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  It  takes, 
indeed,  a  most  amazing  credulity  for  any  one  to  believe  the 
stories  I  have  alluded  to  after  having  looked  at  the  records 
of  his  family.  Lincoln  himself,  backed  by  the  record  in  the 
Lincoln  family  Bible,  is  the  first  authority  for  the  time  and 
place  of  his  birth,  as  well  as  the  name  of  his  father  and 
mother.  The  father,  Thomas  Lincoln,  far  from  being  a 
"  poor  white,"  was  the  son  of  a  prosperous  Kentucky  pio 
neer,  a  man  of  honorable  and  well-established  lineage,  who 
had  come  from  Virginia  as  a  friend  of  Daniel  Boone,  and 
had  there  bought  large  tracts  of  land,  and  begun  to  grow  up 
with  the  country,  where  he  was  killed  by  the  Indians.  He 
left  a  large  family.  By  the  law  of  Kentucky  the  estate  went 
mainly  to  the  eldest  son,  and  the  youngest,  Thomas  Lincoln, 
was  left  to  shift  for  himself.  This  younger  son  was  mar 
ried  at  Beechland,  Kentucky,  to  a  young  woman  of  a  family 
well  known  in  the  vicinity,  Nancy  Hanks.  There  is  no  doubt 
whatever  about  the  time  and  the  place  of  their  marriage. 
All  the  legal  documents 2  required  in  Kentucky  at  that  period 
for  a  marriage  are  in  existence.  Not  only  have  we  the  bond 
and  the  certificate,  but  the  marriage  is  duly  entered  in  a  list 
of  marriage  returns  made  by  Jesse  Head,  one  of  the  best 

2  This  is  not  quite  correct.  The  license  has  not  been  found,  nor,  in 
my  opinion,  has  the  marriage  certificate.  In  expressing  the  judgment  that 
the  marriage  certificate  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  has  not  been 
found,  but  only  the  signed  return  of  the  minister,  and  the  marriage  bond, 
I  do  not  forget  that  what  purports  to  be  the  original  ^marriage  certifi 
cate  is  in  a  private  collection  and  that  a  fac-simile  of  it  has  been  pub 
lished  in  one  of  the  Lives  of  Lincoln.  I  have  not  seen  the  so-called 
original;  but  any  one  who  wishes  may  compare  the  fac-simile  with  the 


26    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

known  early  Methodist  ministers  of  Kentucky.  It  is  now 
to  be  seen  in  the  records  of  Washington  County,  Kentucky. 
There  is  even  in  existence  a  very  full  and  amusing  account 
of  the  wedding  and  the  fan-fare  [infare]  which  followed 
by  a  guest  who  was  present  and  who  for  years  after  was 
accustomed  to  visit  Thomas  and  Nancy.  This  guest,  Chris 
topher  Columbus  Graham,  a  unique  and  perfectly  trustworthy 
man,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Louisville,  died  only  a  few  years 
ago. 

But  while  these  documents  dispose  effectually  of  the  ques 
tion  of  the  parentage  of  Lincoln,  they  do  not,  of  course, 
clear  up  the  shadow  which  hangs  over  the  parentage  of  his 
mother. 

The  remainder  of  the  interesting  little  brochure  is  de 
voted  to  the  ancestry  of  Nancy  Hanks,  which  does  not  be 
long  to  the  present  inquiry. 

This  well  written  argument,  printed  in  1907  in  a  little 
booklet  by  the  Lincoln  Farm  Association,  and  used  in  var 
ious  other  publications,  appeared  to  me,  when  I  first  read 
it,  to  be  eminently  satisfactory,  and  I  had  no  inclination  to 
pursue  the  subject  farther.  I  already  believed  that  Thomas 
Lincoln  was  the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  had  no 
temptation  to  meddle  with  any  other  opinion,  and  was  glad 
that  Miss  Tarbell  in  so  simple  a  fashion  had  disposed  of  the 
whole  subject  without  effort  which  I  had  no  desire  to  put 
forth. 

But,  while  I  still  admire  the  manner  in  which  Miss  Tar- 
bell  swept  up  the  whole  affair  into  a  dustpan  and  threw  it 
out  of  doors,  I  am  forced  to  the  opinion  that  that  is  not  the 
best  way  to  treat  the  matter.  Either  it  should  be  ignored 
altogether,  or  the  issue  should  be  squarely  met:  and  it  is  not 
possible  for  a  thoughtful  student  to  ignore  it;  if  it  had  been 
possible,  I  should  not  be  writing  this  book. 

genuine  records  of  Jesse  Head.  How  such  a  document,  if  in  existence, 
and  presumably  preserved  in  the  Lincoln  family,  could  have  been  con 
cealed  from  President  Lincoln,  and  produced  after  it  ceased  to  have 
important  value  as  evidence,  but  when  it  had  undeniable  commercial 
value,  I  do  not  undertake  to  explain.  I  am  confident,  however,  that  the 
author  of  the  volume  in  which  it  first  appeared  had  no  share  in  the 
imposture,  but  was  imposed  upon. 


IS  THE  INQUIRY  WORTH  WHILE?    27 

In  the  first  place,  one  may  not  dispose  of  Lamon  and 
Herndon  by  saying  that  while  they  wrote  Lives  of  Lincoln 
of  great  value,  "  neither  of  these  men  was  a  student,  and 
they  did  not  take  the  trouble  to  look  for  the  records  of  Lin 
coln's  birth.  They  accepted  rumors,  and  enlarged  upon 
them." 

In  his  own  erratic  way,  Herndon  certainly  was  a  stu 
dent,  and  a  very  diligent  one.  In  a  matter  which  interested 
him,  as  this  one  did  profoundly,  he  was  industrious  and  dis 
criminating,  and  followed  his  clues  unremittingly.  He  did 
"take  trouble  to  look  up  the  records  of  Lincoln's  birth," 
and  it  was  with  no  little  trouble  that  he  found  them.  And 
Lamon,  or  whoever  wrote  Lamon's  book,  though  he  wrote  in 
most  ungracious  spirit  and  in  great  unwisdom,  was  no  fool, 
nor  did  he  lack  the  qualities  of  a  student. 

But  the  thing  that  most  troubled  me  when  I  discovered 
it  was  that,  whatever  Herndon  believed  about  the  parentage 
of  Lincoln,  he  knew  all  that  Miss  Tarbell  knew.  The  testi 
mony  of  Lincoln,  as  given  in  his  autobiography,  and  the  rec 
ord  in  the  family  Bible,  were  before  Herndon  when  he  wrote, 
and  he  reproduced  the  record  in  the  family  Bible  in  fac-simile 
in  his  book.  He  even  knew  the  place  and  date  of  the  marriage 
of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln,  and  told  of  it  in  his  first 
edition;  and  that  is  where  Miss  Tarbell  probably  learned  of 
it.  He  said,  in  1889: 

In  only  two  instances  did  Mr.  Lincoln  over  his  own  hand 
leave  any  record  of  his  history  or  family  descent.  One  of 
these  was  the  modest  bit  of  autobiography  furnished  to  Jesse 
W.  Fell  in  1859,  in  which,  after  stating  that  his  parents  were 
born  in  Virginia,  of  "  undistinguished  or  second  families,"  he 
makes  the  brief  mention  of  his  mother,  saying  that  she  came 
"  of  a  family  of  the  name  of  Hanks."  The  other  record 
was  the  register  of  marriages,  births  and  deaths,  which  he 
made  in  his  father's  Bible.  The  latter  now  lies  before  me. 
That  portion  of  the  page  which  probably  contained  the  record 
of  the  marriage  of  his  parents,  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy 
Hanks,  has  been  lost;  but  fortunately  the  records  of  Wash 
ington  County,  Kentucky,  and  the  certificate  of  the  minister 


28    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

who  performed  the  marriage, — the  Rev.  Jesse  Head — fix  the 
fact  and  date  of  the  latter  on  the  i2th  day  of  June,  1806. 
On  the  loth  day  of  February  in  the  following  year  a  daugh 
ter,  Sarah,  was  born,  and  two  years  later,  on  the  I2th  of 
February,  the  subject  of  these  memoirs  came  into  the  world. 
— Herndon' s  Lincoln,  First  Edition,  Volume  I,  pp.  4,  5. 

It  is  impossible  to  refute  Herndon  by  the  production  of 
evidence  with  which  he  was  entirely  familiar,  but  which  was 
outweighed  (if  it  was  so  outweighed)  in  his  mind  by  more 
than  counterbalancing  evidence. 

Not  only  so,  but  Lamon  conceded  the  fact  of  the  mar 
riage,  and  fixed  the  approximate  date,  although  up  to  the 
time  he  wrote  (1872)  and  for  some  years  afterward,  dili 
gent  search  had  failed  to  discover  the  marriage  bond  and 
the  return  of  Jesse  Head. 

Some  time  in  the  year  1806  he  [Thomas  Lincoln]  mar 
ried  Nancy  Hanks.  ...  It  is  admitted  by  all  the  old  resi 
dents  of  the  place  that  they  were  honestly  married,  but  pre 
cisely  when  or  how  no  one  can  tell.  Diligent  and  thorough 
searches  by  the  most  competent  persons  have  failed  to  dis 
cover  any  trace  of  the  fact  in  the  public  records  of  Hardin 
and  the  adjoining  counties.  The  license  and  the  minister's 
return  in  the  case  of  Lincoln  and  Sarah  Johnston,  his  sec 
ond  wife,  were  easily  found  in  the  place  where  the  law  re 
quires  them  to  be;  but  of  Nancy  Hanks's  marriage  there 
exists  no  evidence  but  that  of  mutual  acknowledgement  and 
cohabitation. — LAMON'S  Life  of  Lincoln,  p.  10. 

Whatever  the  opinions  of  Lamon  and  Herndon,  and  we 
shall  examine  them  in  detail,  and  whatever  their  faults  in 
other  particulars,  these  are  as  true  and  fair  statements  as 
could  have  been  made  when  Lamon's  book  was  issued  in  1872 
or  Herndon' s  in  1889. 

When  I  discovered  this  fact,  I  saw  that  Herndon  could 
not  be  confuted  in  the  manner  that  had  been  so  easily  as 
sumed;  and  that  those  persons  who  conceded  all  that  Miss 
Tarbell  claimed,  but  who  still  believed  Abraham  Lincoln  ille 
gitimate,  must  either  be  met  by  other  arguments,  or  their 
claim  admitted. 


IS  THE  INQUIRY  WORTH  WHILE?    29 

Furthermore,  I  continually  discovered  other  matters  which 
compelled  attention;  and  they  are  hereinafter  set  forth,  and 
in  due  course  analyzed  and  given  what  appears  to  me  their 
true  value  as  evidence. 

I  have  read  with  keen  enjoyment  and  some  profit  Colonel 
Henry  Watterson's  breezy  autobiography,  "  Marse  Henry." 
He  devoted  a  portion  of  one  chapter  to  Andrew  Johnson, 
and  to  the  rumor  that  he  was  an  illegitimate  child.  He  quotes 
a  letter  received  by  him  from  Hon.  Josephus  Daniels,  declar 
ing  this  story  to  be  false,  and  saying : 

My  own  information  is,  for  I  have  made  some  investiga 
tion  of  it,  that  the  story  about  Andrew  Johnson's  having  a 
father  other  than  the  husband  of  his  mother  is  as  wanting 
in  foundation  as  the  story  about  Abraham  Lincoln.  You 
did  a  great  service  in  running  that  down  and  exposing  it, 
and  I  trust  before  you  publish  your  book  you  will  be  able  to 
do  a  like  service  in  repudiating  the  unjust,  idle  gossip  with 
reference  to  Andrew  Johnson.—"  Marse  Henry,"  Vol.  I,  p. 
158. 

Colonel  Watterson  says,  among  other  things,  of  the  Lin 
coln  story: 

There  used  to  be  a  story  about  Raleigh,  North  Carolina, 
where  Andrew  Johnson  was  born,  that  he  was  the  natural 
son  of  William  Ruffin,  an  eminent  jurist  in  the  earlier  years 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  It  was  analogous  to  the  story 
that  Lincoln  was  the  natural  son  of  various  paternities  from 
time  to  time  assigned  him.  I  had  my  share  in  running  that 
calumny  to  cover.  It  was  a  lie  out  of  whole  cloth,  with  noth 
ing  whatever  to  support  or  excuse  it.  I  reached  the  bottom 
of  it  to  discover  proof  of  its  baselessness  abundant  and  con 
clusive. — "Marse  Henry"  Vol.  I,  p.  155. 

I  had  known  that  Colonel  Watterson  in  some  address  or 
editorial  had  referred  to  this  matter,  but  had  no  knowledge 
of  any  such  thorough  inquiry  on  his  part  as  this  seemed  to 
imply.  I  had  read  his  eloquent  lecture  on  Abraham  Lincoln, 
and  a  re-reading  of  it  confirmed  the  recollection  that  it  con- 


30    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

tained  nothing  on  this  subject.  I  therefore  wrote  to  the 
Colonel,  asking  him  to  furnish  me  his  material  on  this  sub 
ject,  as  it  was  one  in  which  I  was  deeply  interested.  I  re 
ceived  a  courteous  reply  from  him,  accompanied  by  a  note 
from  his  secretary,  who  had  made  diligent  search  among 
the  Colonel's  papers,  and  could  not  find  it.  Colonel  Watter- 
son  said,  however,  that  what  he  had  written  on  the  subject 
was  somewhere  in  the  files  of  the  Courier-Journal,  though 
his  secretary  had  not  found  it,  and  that  the  facts  on 
which  his  article  was  based  were  those  given  by  Miss 
Tarbell. 

The  article  has  been  found.  It  is  an  address  by  Colonel 
Watterson,  delivered  November  8,  1911,  on  the  occasion  of 
his  presentation  of  the  Speed  statue  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
to  Kentucky  and  the  nation,  and  it  is  printed  in  the  current 
issue  of  the  Courier-Journal.  The  portion  of  the  address 
which  deals  with  this  subject  quotes  in  full  the  Christopher 
Columbus  Graham  affidavit,  which,  it  appears  from  this  arti 
cle,  was  reduced  to  writing  and  sworn  to  by  Mr.  Graham 
at  the  request  of  Colonel  Watterson.  Omitting  the  affidavit, 
which  will  appear  in  another  place,  the  statement  of  Colonel 
Watterson  is  as  follows: 

Let  me  speak,  with  some  particularity  and  the  authority 
of  fact,  tardily  but  conclusively  ascertained,  touching  the  ... 
maternity  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Few  passages  in  history 
have  been  so  greatly  misrepresented  and  misconceived.  Some 
confusion  was  made  by  his  own  mistake  as  to  the  marriage 
of  his  father  and  mother,  which  had  not  been  celebrated  in 
Hardin  County,  but  in  Washington  County,  Kentucky,  the 
absence  of  any  marriage  papers  in  the  old  court  house  at 
Elizabethtown,  the  county  seat  of  Hardin  County,  leading 
to  the  notion  that  there  had  never  been  any  marriage  at  all. 
It  is  easy  to  conceive  that  such  a  discrepancy  might  give 
occasion  for  any  amount  and  all  sorts  of  partisan  falsifica 
tion,  the  distorted  stories  winning  popular  belief  among  the 
credulous  and  inflamed.  Lincoln  himself  died  without  surely 
knowing  that  he  was  born  in  an  honest  wedlock  and  came 
from  an  ancestry  upon  both  sides  of  which  he  had  no  reason 
to  be  ashamed.  For  a  long  time  a  cloud  hung  over  the  name 


IS  THE  INQUIRY  WORTH  WHILE?    31 

of  Nancy  Hanks,  the  mother  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Per 
sistent  and  intelligent  research  has  brought  about  a  vindi 
cation  in  every  way  complete.  It  has  been  clearly  established 
that  as  the  ward  of  a  decent  family  she  lived  a  happy  and 
industrious  girl  until  she  was  twenty-three  years  of  age,  when 
Thomas  Lincoln,  who  had  learned  his  trade  in  the  shop  of 
one  of  her  uncles,  married  her,  June  12,  1806.  The  entire 
record  is  in  existence  and  intact.  The  marriage  bond  to  the 
amount  of  £50  was  duly  recorded  seven3  days  before  the 
wedding,  which  was  solemnized  as  became  the  well-to-do 
folks  in  those  days.  The  uncle  and  aunt  gave  an  "  infare," 
to  which  the  neighboring  countryside  was  invited.  Dr.  Chris 
topher  Columbus  Graham,  one  of  the  most  highly  respected 
of  Kentucky,  before  his  death,  in  1885,  wrote  at  my  request 
his  remembrances  of  that  festival  and  testified  to  it  before 
a  notary  public  in  the  ninety-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

This  is  well  said,  and  spoken  like  a  gentleman,  which 
Marse  Henry  is  and  always  was;  but  it  certainly  cannot  be 
called  going  to  the  bottom  of  the  matter.  It  is  evident  that 
his  sources  of  information  were  the  personal  testimony  of 
Dr.  Graham,  and  the  researches  of  Miss  Tarbell  and  Mrs. 
Hitchcock,  which  essentially  were  nothing  more  than  the  plac 
ing  of  a  new  emphasis  upon  the  discovery  of  the  marriage 
return,  which  Herndon  had  long  before  proclaimed. 

Let  us  understand  clearly  that  while  the  discovery  of 
the  marriage  return  and  bond  is  a  fact  of  very  great  im 
portance,  and  a  complete  answer  to  some  forms  of  the  story 
we  are  discussing,  it  is  of  no  value  in  meeting  the  charge 
that  Thomas  Lincoln,  for  a  consideration,  married  a  woman 
of  bad  character,  already  pregnant  by  another  man,  the  pater 
nity  of  whose  child  he  assumed;  and  further,  that  the  mar 
riage  bond,  with  or  without  the  affidavit  of  Dr.  Christopher 
Columbus  Graham  in  his  one-hundredth  year,  is  no  answer  to 
the  charge  that  Nancy  Hanks,  after  her  marriage,  enter 
tained  men  other  than  her  husband,  and  by  one  of  them 
became  the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln;  on  account  of  which, 

*  This  is  an  unimportant  error.  The  bond  was  dated  June  10,  and 
the  marriage  was  performed  June  12,  1806. 


32    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

and  of  her  husband's  ferocious  fight  with  him,  the  Lincolns 
left  Kentucky. 

This  story  should  either  be  let  alone,  or  it  should  be  met 
resolutely,  and  the  truth  ascertained. 

The  author  of  this  volume  has  corresponded  with  a  num 
ber  of  people  who  have,  to  their  complete  satisfaction,  refuted 
the  stories  that  Lincoln  was  illegitimate,  but  who,  when  asked 
for  their  evidence,  have  nothing  more  than  they  have  learned 
from  Miss  Tarbell  and  Mrs.  Hitchcock.  These  two  excellent 
ladies  did  service,  but  they  did  not  go  to  the  bottom  of  the 
matter. 

In  my  judgment,  nothing  but  harm  can  come  from  a  su 
perficial  treatment  of  this  subject,  and  every  attempt  thus 
far  to  treat  it  is  superficial. 

The  more  carefully  one  scrutinizes  the  manner  in  which 
the  biographers  of  Lincoln  have  handled  this  matter,  the 
more  evident  it  becomes  that  they  leave  much  to  be  desired. 
A  considerable  number  of  writers  make  plain  reference  to 
these  stories,  showing  that  they  know  of  them,  and  dismiss 
them  with  some  show  of  indignation  that  any  such  stories 
should  have  been  circulated,  but  give  no  reason  why,  having 
been  circulated,  they  should  now  not  be  believed.  They  resent 
the  publicity,  but  do  not  disprove  the  charges.  They  mani 
fest  displeasure  that  the  stories  are  in  circulation,  but  do 
nothing  except  to  increase  a  little  the  extent  of  the  publiciy. 

One  may  glance  into  almost  any  recent  Life  of  Lincoln 
and  wish  that  its  author  had  said  more  or  else  said  less. 

Morse,  whose  book  is  of  real  value,  but  who  writes  with 
out  much  knowledge  of  social  life  in  backwoods  districts, 
and  with  little  warmth  or  sympathy,  exhibits  disgust  for  the 
whole  Hanks  family;  he  tells  of  some  cases  of  illegitimacy 
in  that  family  and  hints  that  there  were  others,  and  leaves 
the  reader  in  doubt  of  Morse's  own  opinion,  save  only  that 
he  evidently  has  a  pained  and  impatient  feeling  of  disillu 
sionment  concerning  the  entire  background  of  Lincoln's  in 
fancy  and  youth. 

Nicolay  and  Hay  give  a  somber  and  vague  description 
of  the  condition  of  the  home  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  and  say 


IS  THE  INQUIRY  WORTH  WHILE?    33 

that  not  even  to  his  closest  friends  did  Abraham  Lincoln  talk 
about  the  conditions  of  that  home. 

Chapman,  in  his  Latest  Light  on  Lincoln,  excoriates  every 
man  who  has  had  a  share  in  the  publication  of  these  rumors, 
and  thus  effectually  publishes  them  a  little  more  widely,  with 
out  giving  any  facts  that  tend  toward  their  refutation. 

Among  English  books  the  situation  is  evidently  one  of 
perplexity.  The  authors  do  not  know  what  to  say.  Appar 
ently  they  feel  that  there  is  some  truth  in  these  rumors;  cer 
tainly  they  do  not  feel  that  they  have  any  call  to  rush  in  and 
refute  them,  for  which  fact,  at  least,  we  have  reason  to  thank 
them.  Binns,  an  early  English  biographer  of  Lincoln,  tells 
the  whole  story  as  Herndon  told  it,  and  expresses  the  feeble 
hope  that  the  situation  was  not  quite  so  bad  as  that  would 
appear  to  imply.  Lord  Charnwood,  by  far  the  ablest  of 
Lincoln's  English  biographers,  gives  these  stories  recogni 
tion,  but  leaves  the  reader  in  doubt  as  to  his  own  opinion. 

No  English  biographer  can  be  expected  to  investigate 
these  rumors  independently;  and  no  American  biographer  has 
done  it  thoroughly. 

The  method  which  has  come  to  be  common  among  bi 
ographers  of  Lincoln  is  to  give  some  general  intimation  that 
the  author  is  aware  of  these  stories,  and  dismiss  them  with 
out  discussion.  Referring  again  to  Lincoln's  figure  of  speech, 
their  method  has  been  virtually  to  produce  a  scrap  of  skunk- 
skin  and  hint  that  there  is  more  where  that  came  from,  but 
that  it  is  just  as  well  to  let  it  alone. 

The  present  author  proposes  rather  that  the  unpleasant 
situation  be  faced,  and  the  skin,  if  it  is  worth  removing,  be 
nailed  securely  to  the  barn-door;  and  if  it  is  not  of  value, 
that  the  skunk  receive  decent  and  permanent  burial. 

It  is  time  for  vague  rumor  and  undenied  gossip  to  be 
brought  to  bar,  and  the  truth  discovered,  if  at  this  date  it  is 
possible  to  discover  the  truth. 

There  is  good  reason  why  some  one  should  face  this 
question  with  courage  enough  to  learn  and  publish  the  whole 
truth.  Enough  has  been  said,  and  will  continue  to  be  said, 
to  make  it  certain  that  these  stories  will  not  die  down  of 


84    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

themselves,  and  whoever  refers  to  them  but  piques  the  cu 
riosity  of  his  hearers  or  readers  with  a  desire  to  know  just 
what  it  is  that  is  being  referred  to  and  otherwise  concealed. 

If  Thomas  Lincoln  was  not  the  father  of  Abraham  Lin 
coln,  less  harm  will  come  at  this  day  from  admitting  it  than 
from  slurring  over  a  truth  which  is  everywhere  recognized 
as  an  extant  rumor  which  no  one  has  quite  courage  to  face. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  he  was  the  legitimate  son  of  Thomas 
and  Nancy  Lincoln,  it  is  high  time  that  the  skinning  of  the 
skunk,  bit  by  bit,  should  cease,  and  the  animal  be  given  per 
manent  interment. 

If  it  be  asked  again,  Has  not  the  question  been  settled 
by  the  discovery  of  the  marriage  return  of  Thomas  and 
Nancy  Lincoln?  the  answer  is  that  that  does  indeed  settle 
some  of  the  stories,  and  settle  them  forever;  but  it  does  not 
settle  them  all.  Indeed,  it  does  not  settle  the  oldest,  the  most 
widely  disseminated,  or  the  most  unpleasant  of  them. 

This  inquiry,  therefore,  is  not  one  for  the  frivolous,  nor 
is  it  to  be  pursued  in  a  manner  that  will  afford  delight  to 
scandal  mongers.  It  is  the  serious  facing  of  the  questions 
which  every  student  of  the  life  of  Lincoln  knows  must  some 
time  be  faced.  And  the  author  is  not  without  hope  and 
confidence  that  he  is  facing  them  with  promise  of  a  definite 
and  permanent  result. 

This  inquiry  has  need  to  be  made  both  as  a  footnote 
to  all  extant  biographies  of  Lincoln,  and  as  a  source  of  ma 
terial  for  all  future  biographers,  as  well  as  a  contribution 
to  historical  knowledge. 


CHAPTER    III 
THE  SOIL  IN  WHICH  THESE  STORIES  GREW 

CHANGING  the  graphic  but  not  wholly  pleasant  figure  of  speech 
in  the  preceding  chapter,  it  is  well  to  ask,  Out  of  what  soil 
did  these  various  rumors,  reports  and  charges  grow?  What 
was  their  general  background,  the  situation  which  made  it  easy 
for  them  to  originate,  and  which  has  lent  to  them  a  degree 
of  plausibility? 

First,  we  reckon  with  the  fact  that  Lincoln  himself  dis 
played  "  significant  reserve  "  in  matters  of  his  family  rela 
tionship.  He  furnished  to  his  biographers  very  scanty  ma 
terial,  passed  lightly  over  the  maternal  side  of  his  genealogy, 
and  gave  to  John  Locke  Scripps  in  confidence  some  informa 
tion  which  he  did  not  desire  to  have  published  and  which 
Scripps  never  published.  Lincoln  himself  must  be  accounted 
the  first  and  in  some  respects  the  most  important  witness 
against  himself  in  this  particular.  If  he  could  have  displayed 
unquestioned  descent  from  two  of  the  "  first  families  "  of 
Virginia,  it  is  hardly  possible  that  these  stories  would  have 
gained  circulation.  That  he  was  sensitive  on  this  subject  is 
beyond  question.  Herndon  relates  that  when  some  one  under 
took  to  establish  a  relationship  with  him  he  replied  curtly, 
"  You  are  mistaken  about  my  mother."  * 

In  the  next  place,  we  must  remember  that  Lincoln  made 
vain  effort  to  discover  the  record  of  his  parents'  marriage, 
and  that  Herndon  in  1865  extended  that  effort.  The  fact 
that  search  was  made  in  several  counties  and  no  record  found 
could  not  be  kept  secret.  Not  till  many  years  afterward, 
about  1878,  was  the  record  found  by  W.  F.  Booker,  clerk  of 
the  Washington  County  Court.  This  was  much  too  late  to 
stop  the  rumors,  which  had  a  long  start;  and  for  that  matter 


was  in  his  letter  to  Samuel  Haycraft  in  1860.     Reference  to 
it  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

35 


36    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

there  were  some  of  them  which  this  discovery  did  not 
answer. 

We  have  to  remember,  also,  as  a  contributory  cause,  the 
low  social  scale  of  the  Hanks  family  in  Kentucky.  Although 
careful  search  has  shown  that  this  family  had  many  worthy 
representatives,  it  was  not  one  of  the  first  families,  even  in 
the  backwoods  of  Kentucky.  Herndon,  in  a  private  letter, 
says  that  the  record  of  this  family  from  1790  to  1910  shows 
that  the  Hankses  "must  have  been  about  the  lowest  people 
on  earth."  This  is  an  extravagant  statement,  but  the  Hanks 
family  was  not  one  of  the  high-grade  families.  In  it  illegiti 
macy  was  not  unknown. 

It  is  also  to  be  remembered  that  Sarah  Bush  Lincoln  ap 
pears  to  have  been  very  reticent  in  the  information  which 
she  furnished  to  Herndon  when,  in  1865,  he  visited  her  and 
questioned  her  about  the  Hanks  family.  In  the  judgment 
of  the  author,  a  good  deal  too  much  has  been  read  into  this 
reticence.  She  was  proud  to  think  of  Abe  as  her  own  boy, 
and  to  remember  that  she  had  done  more  for  him  than  Nancy 
Hanks  ever  did;  and  she  was  herself  of  better  family  than 
the  Hankses.  Some  of  the  stories  related  of  her  reticence 
to  Herndon  appear  to  be  without  foundation,  and  Herndon 
sometimes  read  meanings  into  such  incidents  which  the  in 
cidents  did  not  warrant.  Nevertheless,  the  truth  remains  that 
when  Herndon  interrogated  Sarah  Bush  Lincoln  concerning 
the  personality  of  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln,  she  seemed  to  him 
to  show  more  than  a  second  wife's  natural  reserve  touching 
her  predecessor. 

It  is  also  to  be  remembered  that  Thomas  Lincoln  was  not 
a  very  tall  man,  like  Abraham,  but  a  close-knit,  solidly  built 
man,  who  in  mind  and  body  was  unlike  to  Abraham. 

It  is  further  alleged,  and  that  on  apparently  good  author 
ity,  that  Thomas  Lincoln  habitually  treated  Abraham  with 
"  great  barbarity,"  and  Dennis  Hanks  tells  us  that  Thomas 
knocked  him  off  the  fence  for  answering  a  civil  question  that 
was  asked  of  him  by  a  passing  traveler. 

It  is  further  alleged  that  Abraham  had  no  love  for  his 
father;  that  he  did  not  visit  him  when  his  father  was  dying; 


THE  SOIL  IN  WHICH  THEY  GREW    37 

that  he  suspected  the  old  man's  veracity;  and  that  he  neglected 
his  grave.  It  is  remembered  that  he  wrote  to  Thomas  Lin 
coln  that  if  he  were  to  visit  him  the  visit  would  perhaps  be 
more  painful  than  pleasant  to  both  of  them;  and  this  has 
been  held  to  mean  that  the  reason  was  that  each  of  the  two 
men  knew  that  Thomas  was  not  Abraham's  father. 

To  this  is  added  the  fact  of  Lincoln's  habitual  sadness, 
which,  it  is  alleged,  must  have  had  behind  it  some  deep  and 
sad  secret  such  as  this. 

It  is  also  remembered  that  William  H.  Herndon,  Lin 
coln's  partner  for  many  years,  in  the  first  edition  of  his 
book,  seemed  to  imply  that  Lincoln  was  illegitimate,  and  even 
in  his  expurgated  edition  said  that  he  had  his  origin  "  in 
the  nameless  bog  where  the  foot  of  history  leaves  no  track." 
It  is  alleged  that  because  of  its  plain  intimation  that  Lincoln 
was  illegitimate,  Herndon's  first  edition  was  suppressed,  as 
earlier  had  been  that  of  Lincoln's  other  intimate  associate, 
Colonel  Ward  Hill  Lamon. 

The  foregoing,  and  perhaps  more  of  the  same  sort,  stands 
at  the  background  of  all  these  rumors  and  gives  to  them  color 
and  some  measure  of  apparent  reasonableness.  Particular 
charges  are  augmented  and  reinforced  in  the  light  of  their 
apparent  correlation  with  this  general  body  of  tradition. 
More  or  less,  these  come  into  the  direct  evidence;  but  whether 
they  do  or  not,  they  are  the  soil  in  which  particular  rumors 
or  charges  are  rooted.  We  shall  consider  these  in  detail,  but 
it  is  well  to  have  this  general  background  in  mind. 


CHAPTER   IV 
WHAT  DID  LINCOLN  THINK  ABOUT  IT? 

THAT  Lincoln  looked  back  upon  the  conditions  of  his  youth 
and  home  surroundings  with  painful  realization  of  their  pri 
vation  is  undoubted.  He  said  to  Scripps,  his  first  biographer, 
that  neither  Scripps  nor  any  one  else  could  make  anything 
of  his  life  beyond  what  was  contained  in  a  single  line  of 
Gray's  Elegy, — 

"The  short  and  simple  annals  of  the  poor." 

"  The  chief  difficulty  I  had  to  encounter/'  wrote  Mr. 
Scripps  to  Mr.  Herndon,  "  was  to  induce  him  to  communicate 
the  homely  facts  and  incidents  of  his  early  life.  He  seemed 
to  be  painfully  impressed  with  the  extreme  poverty  of  his 
early  surroundings,  the  utter  absence  of  all  romantic  or  heroic 
elements;  and  I  know  that  he  thought  poorly  of  the  idea  of 
attempting  a  biographical  sketch  for  campaign  purposes.  .  .  . 
Mr.  Lincoln  communicated  some  facts  to  me  about  his  ances 
try  which  he  did  not  wish  published,  and  which  I  have  never 
spoken  of  or  alluded  to  before." 

What  these  supposed  facts  were,  Mr.  Scripps  never  re 
vealed  to  Herndon,  and  probably  not  to  any  one  else.  It  is 
evident  from  this  that  Lincoln  believed  some  thing  or  things 
concerning  his  own  ancestry  which  he  did  not  wish  to  have 
published  and  about  which  he  felt  sensitive. 

One  of  these  things  would  appear  to  have  been  the  mat 
ter  of  the  paternity  of  his  mother.  Another  would  appear 
to  have  been  a  question  concerning  the  marriage  of  his  father 
and  his  mother. 

What  Lincoln  thought  of  the  ancestry  of  his  mother  is 
told  by  Herndon,  no  doubt  substantially  as  Lincoln  had  told 
it  to  him.  Whether  Herndon  ought  to  have  published  it  is 
open  to  question,  but  there  is  no  reason  to  dispute  the  essential 

38 


WHAT  DID  LINCOLN  THINK?         39 

truth  of  his  report  of  his  conversation  with  Lincoln.  Whether 
Lincoln  himself  was  correctly  informed,  or  whether  indeed 
he  had  any  definite  information  beyond  his  lack  of  knowledge 
of  certain  facts,  some  of  which  are  now  known,  is,  of  course, 
another  question. 

"  On  the  subject  of  his  ancestry  and  origin,"  writes  Mr. 
Herndon  in  his  much  discussed  passage  in  the  first  chapter 
of  the  first  edition  of  his  book,  "  I  only  remember  one  time 
when  Mr.  Lincoln  ever  referred  to  it.  It  was  about  1850, 
when  he  and  I  were  driving  in  his  one-horse  buggy  to  the 
court  in  Menard  County,  Illinois.  The  suit  we  were  going 
to  try  was  one  in  which  we  were  likely,  either  directly  or 
collaterally,  to  touch  upon  the  subject  of  hereditary  traits. 
During  the  ride  he  spoke,  for  the  first  time  in  my  hearing, 
of  his  mother,  dwelling  on  her  characteristics,  and  mention 
ing  or  enumerating  what  qualities  he  inherited  from  her.  He 
said,  among  other  things,  that  she  was  the  illegitimate  daughter 
of  Lucy  Hanks  and  a  well-bred  Virginia  farmer  or  planter; 
and  he  argued  that  from  this  last  source  came  his  power  of 
analysis,  his  logic,  his  mental  activity,  his  ambition,  and  all  the 
qualities  that  distinguished  him  from  the  other  members  and 
descendants  of  the  Hanks  family.  His  theory  in  discussing-  this 
matter  of  hereditary  traits  had  been  that,  for  certain  reasons, 
illegitimate  children  are  oftentimes  sturdier  and  brighter  than 
those  born  in  lawful  wedlock;  and  in  his  case,  he  believed 
that  his  better  nature  and  finer  qualities  came  from  this 
broad-minded,  unknown  Virginian.  The  revelation — painful 
as  it  was — called  up  the  recollection  of  his  mother,  and,  as 
the  buggy  jolted  over  the  road,  he  added  ruefully,  '  God 
bless  my  mother;  all  that  I  am  or  ever  hope  to  be  I  owe  to 
her; '  and  immediately  lapsed  into  silence.  Our  interchange 
of  ideas  ceased,  and  we  rode  on  for  some  time  without  ex 
changing  a  word.  He  was  sad  and  absorbed.  Burying  him 
self  in  thought,  and  musing  no  doubt  over  the  disclosure  he 
had  just  made,  he  drew  round  him  a  barrier  which  I  feared 
to  penetrate.  His  words  and  melancholy  tone  made  a  deep 
impression  on  me.  It  was  an  experience  I  can  never  forget. — 
Herndon's  Lincoln,  Vol.  I,  pp.  3-4. 


40    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

This  tells  us  what  Abraham  Lincoln  thought,  about  1850, 
of  his  mother's  parentage.  What  Lincoln  thought  about  his 
own  paternity  is  less  certain.  We  shall  presently  discover 
what  Herndon  thought,  but  he  never  set  forth  a  claim  that 
Lincoln  told  him  anything  about  his  own  misgivings,  if  he 
had  any,  concerning  his  own  legitimacy.  We  do  know,  how 
ever,  that  Lincoln  had  caused  the  records  of  Hardin  County 
to  be  searched  for  a  record  of  the  marriage  of  Thomas  and 
Nancy  Lincoln,  and  that  the  record  was  not  found.  Lin 
coln  lived  and  died  without  knowing  that  this  marriage  was 
duly  recorded  in  another  county.  What  Lincoln  knew  is 
probably  about  what  Lamon  and  Herndon  knew  in  1872 
when  Lamon's  biography  was  published: 

Some  time  in  the  year  1806  he  [Thomas  Lincoln]  mar 
ried  Nancy  Hanks.  It  was  in  the  shop  of  her  uncle,  Joseph 
Hanks,  at  Elizabethtown,  that  he  had  essayed  to  learn  his 
trade.  We  have  no  record  of  the  courtship,  and  any  one 
can  readily  imagine  the  numberless  occasions  that  would  bring 
together  the  niece  and  the  apprentice.  It  is  true  that  Nancy 
did  not  live  with  her  uncle,  but  the  Hankses  were  all  very 
clannish,  and  she  was  doubtless  a  welcome  and  frequent  guest 
at  his  house.  It  is  admitted  by  all  the  old  residents  of  the 
place  that  they  were  honestly  married,  but  precisely  when 
or  how  no  one  can  tell.  Diligent  and  thorough  searches  by 
the  most  competent  persons  have  failed  to  discover  any  trace  of 
the  fact  in  the  public  records  of  Hardin  and  the  adjoining 
counties.  The  license  and  the  minister's  return  in  the  case 
of  Lincoln  and  Sarah  Johnston,  his  second  wife,  were  easily 
found  in  the  place  where  the  law  required  them  to  be;  but 
of  Nancy  Hanks's  marriage  there  exists  no  evidence  but  that 
of  mutual  acknowledgment  and  cohabitation. — LAMON:  Life 
of  Lincoln,  p.  10. 

As  every  one  knows,  the  record  of  marriage  has  been 
found,  and  is  beyond  question.  But  Lincoln  did  not  know 
that  it  existed,  and  it  was  doubtless  a  matter  of  considerable 
mental  unrest  for  him. 


CHAPTER  V 
WHAT  DID  LAMON  THINK  ABOUT  IT? 

In  his  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  from  His  Birth  to  His 
Inauguration  as  President,  published  in  1872,  by  Ward  Hill 
Lamon,1  local  law  partner  of  Lincoln,  at  Danville,  and  Mar 
shall  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  the  opening  paragraph 
reads : 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  on  the  I2th  day  of  February, 
1809.  His  father's  name  was  Thomas  Lincoln,  and  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Nancy  Hanks.  At  the  time  of 
his  birth  they  are  supposed  to  have  been  married  about  three 
years.  Although  there  appears  to  have  been  but  very  little 
sympathy  or  affection  between  Thomas  and  Abraham  Lincoln, 
they  were  nevertheless  connected  by  ties  and  associations 
which  make  the  previous  history  of  Thomas  and  his  family 
a  necessary  part  of  any  reasonably  full  biography  of  the  great 
man  who  immortalized  the  name  by  wearing  it. 

The  implications  of  this  paragraph  are  unmistakable,  nor 
were  they  misunderstood  by  the  readers  of  the  volume  from 
the  beginning.  Although  Thomas  Lincoln  was  said  to  be  the 
father  of  Abraham,  it  was  intended  to  be  implied  that  he  was 
Abraham's  putative  father,  and  that  the  name  Lincoln  did 
not  belong  to  Abraham. 

It  would  not  be  easy  to  account  for  the  attitude  of  Lamon's 
Life  of  Lincoln  on  the  hypothesis  that  Lamon  was  its  sole 

1  In  Harper's  Weekly  for  July  u,  1911  (p.  6),  and  in  Lincoln  and 
Herndon,  by  Joseph  Fort  Newton,  William  H.  Herndon  charges  that 
the  real  author  of  Lamon's  book  was  not  Lamon,  but  that  Chauncey  F. 
Black  (died  1904),  son  of  Lamon's  law  partner  after  the  war,  and  mem 
ber  of  Buchanan's  Cabinet  before  the  war,  was  hired  by  Lamon  to  do 
a  better  piece  of  writing  than  Lamon  himself  could  have  done.  He 
charges  that  while  Lamon  was  less  true  to  Lincoln  than  he  ought  to 
have  been,  the  real  animus  of  the  book  was  that  of  Black  rather  than 
Lamon.  But  Lamon  doubtless  believed  what  Black  believed  on  this 
matter. 

41 


42    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

author.  Lamon  was  Lincoln's  friend  of  many  years,  his 
local  partner,  his  intimate  companion.  He  held  for  Lincoln 
genuine  affection  and  respect.  But  Lamon's  own  character 
was  not  such  as  to  make  him  capable  of  appreciating  the  best 
that  was  in  Lincoln,  and  his  familiarity  did  not  breed  the 
highest  type  of  reference.  Chauncey  F.  Black,  Lamon's  liter 
ary  associate,  was  not  a  friend  of  Lincoln,  though  his  father 
was  Lamon's  partner  after  the  war.  Black  was  personally 
and  politically  hostile  to  Lincoln  and  held  his  memory  in 
small  respect.  The  tone,  therefore,  of  the  book  which  bears 
Lamon's  name  varies  with  respect  to  Lincoln,  sometimes 
speaking  of  him  in  terms  of  praise,  at  others  thinly  veiling 
hostility  and  scorn.  With  respect  to  "  Old  Tom  Lincoln  " 
and  all  his  tribe,  Black  felt  no  restraint  and  Lamon  no  com 
punction.  The  tone  of  the  book  is  cynical  and  contemptuous. 
Not  only  does  Lamon's  biography  treat  the  character  of 
Thomas  Lincoln  with  little  respect,  and  it  takes  pains  to  give 
the  impression  that  Abraham  had  neither  respect  nor  affec 
tion  for  him,  and  that  there  always  existed  between  Thomas 
and  Abraham  a  lack  of  such  sympathy  as  ought  to  exist  be 
tween  father  and  son.  Lamon  says: 

Thomas  seems  to  have  been  the  only  member  of  the  fam 
ily  who  was  not  entirely  respectable.  He  was  idle,  thriftless, 
poor,  a  hunter  and  a  rover.  ...  In  religion  he  was  nothing 
at  times,  and  a  number  of  denominations  by  turns — a  Free 
will  Baptist  in  Kentucky,  a  Presbyterian  in  Indiana,  and  a 
Disciple — vulgarly  called  Campbellite — in  Illinois.  In  this 
latter  communion  he  seems  to  have  died.  In  politics  he  was 
Democrat — a  Jackson  Democrat.2  (pp.  8,  9.) 

Thomas  Lincoln  was  not  tall  and  thin,  like  Abraham, 
but  comparatively  short  and  stout,  standing  about  five  feet 
ten  in  his  shoes.  His  hair  was  dark  and  coarse,  his  com 
plexion  brown,  his  face  round  and  full,  his  eyes  gray,  his 
nose  full  and  prominent.  He  weighed  at  different  times  from 
one  hundred  and  seventy  to  one  hundred  and  ninety-six.  He 
was  built  so  "  tight  and  compact "  that  Dennis  Hanks  de- 

2  In  The  Soul  of  Abraham  'Lincoln,  I  have  shown  the  mistake  about 
Thomas  Lincoln's  religion. 


WHAT  DID  LAMON  THINK?  43 

clares  he  never  could  find  the  points  of  separation  between 
his  ribs,  though  he  felt  for  them  often,     (p.  8.) 

The  contrast  between  this  solidly  and  compactly  built 
man  and  his  extraordinarily  long  and  loosely  built  son,  or  sup 
posed  son,  is  recorded  not  without  intent  by  Lamon,  though 
no  comment  is  made  upon  it. 

In  1828,  Abe  had  become  very  tired  of  his  home.  He 
was  now  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  becoming  daily  more 
restive  under  the  restraints  of  servitude  which  bound  him. 
.  .  .  Poor  Abe!  Old  Tom  still  had  a  claim  upon  him.  .  .  . 
He  must  wait  a  few  weary  months  before  he  would  be  of 
age,  and  could  say  he  was  his  own  man,  and  go  his  own 
way.  Old  Tom  was  a  hard  taskmaster,  (p.  70.) 

Lamon  quotes  Colonel  Chapman,  who  married  a  daugh 
ter  of  Dennis  Hanks,  as  saying  that  Thomas  habitually  treated 
Abraham  with  great  barbarity,  and  Dennis  himself  as  saying 
that  he  had  seen  Tom  knock  Abe  off  a  fence  for  giving  a 
civil  answer  to  a  passing  traveler.  His  references  to  Thomas 
are  habitually  lacking  in  any  tone  of  respect,  and  when,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one,  Abraham  leaves  home,  the  biographer 
says: 

It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  we  dismiss  Tom  Lincoln, 
with  his  family  and  fortunes,  from  further  consideration  in 
these  pages,  (p.  75.) 

He  inserts  a  letter  of  Abraham  to  his  father  in  which 
Abraham  appears  to  have  believed  that  Thomas  was  lying 
to  him.  He  is  not  much  moved  by  Lincoln's  letter  written 
when  his  father  was  dying,  giving  him  pious  advice,  but  being 
too  busy  to  visit  him.  He  tells  of  Lincoln's  visit  to  his  rela 
tives  in  February,  1861,  after  his  election  to  the  Presidency: 

Thence  they  went  to  the  spot  where  old  Tom  Lincoln  was 
buried.  The  grave  was  unmarked  and  utterly  neglected. 
Mr.  Lincoln  said  he  "  wanted  to  have  it  inclosed  and  a  suit 
able  tombstone  erected."  He  told  Colonel  Chapman  to  go 
to  a  "marble-dealer,"  ascertain  the  cost  of  the  work  pro- 


44    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

posed,  and  write  him  in  full.  He  would  then  send  Dennis 
Hanks  the  money  and  an  inscription  for  the  stone;  and  Den 
nis  would  do  the  rest.  Colonel  Chapman  performed  his  part 
of  the  business;  but  Mr.  Lincoln  noticed  it  no  further;  and 
the  grave  remains  in  the  same  condition  to  this  day  [1872]. 

(P.  463.) 

Lamon's  references  to  "  Old  Tom  Lincoln "  are  ungra 
cious,  and  his  allusions  to  Nancy  Hanks  are  anything  but 
courteous : 

Nancy  Hanks  was  the  daughter  of  Lucy  Hanks.  Her 
mother  was  one  of  four  sisters, — Lucy,  Betsy,  Polly  and 
Nancy.  Betsy  married  Thomas  Sparrow;  Polly  married 
Jesse  Friend,  and  Nancy,  Levi  Hall.  Lucy  became  the  wife 
of  Henry  Sparrow,  and  the  mother  of  eight  children.  Nancy, 
the  younger,  was  sent  to  live  with  her  uncle  and  aunt,  Thomas 
and  Betsy  Sparrow.  Nancy,  another  of  the  four  sisters,  was 
the  mother  of  Dennis  F.  Hanks,  whose  name  will  be  fre 
quently  met  with  in  the  course  of  this  history.  He  also  was 
brought  up,  or  permitted  to  come  up,  in  the  family  of  Thomas 
Sparrow,  where  Nancy  found  a  shelter. 

Little  Nancy  became  so  completely  identified  with  Thomas 
and  Betsy  Sparrow  that  many  supposed  her  to  have  been  their 
child.  They  reared  her  to  womanhood,  followed  her  to  In 
diana,  dwelt  under  the  same  roof,  died  of  the  same  disease, 
at  nearly  the  same  time,  and  were  buried  close  beside  her. 
They  were  the  only  parents  she  ever  knew;  and  she  must 
have  called  them  by  names  appropriate  to  that  relationship, 
for  several  persons  who  saw  them  die,  and  carried  them  to 
their  graves,  believe  to  this  day  that  they  were  her  father 
and  mother.  Dennis  Hanks  persists  even  now  in  the  asser 
tion  that  her  name  was  Sparrow,  not  Hanks;  but  Dennis  was 
pitiably  weak  on  the  cross-examination ;  and  we  shall  have  to 
accept  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Lincoln  himself,  and  some  dozens 
of  other  persons,  to  the  contrary. — LAMON  :  Life  of  Lincoln, 
p.  12. 

He  notes  that  the  family  Bible,  in  which  Abraham  made 
out  the  record,  in  his  own  handwriting,  "  has  not  a  word 
about  the  Hankses  or  the  Sparrows." 


WHAT  DID  LAMON  THINK?  45 

He  says  that  on  the  subject  of  his  father  and  his  mother, 
Abraham  "  never  spoke  without  great  reluctance,  and  signifi 
cant  reserve."  (p.  17.) 

He  records  that  John  Locke  Scripps  affirmed, — 

"  Mr.  Lincoln  communicated  some  facts  to  me  about  his 
ancestry  which  he  did  not  wish  published,  and  which  I  have 
never  spoken  of  or  alluded  to  before.  I  do  not  think,  how 
ever,  that  Dennis  Hanks,  if  he  knows  anything  about  these 
matters,  would  be  very  likely  to  say  anything  about  them." 
(p.  18.) 

He  tells  that  Rev.  David  Elkin,  in  his  funeral  sermon 
over  the  grave  of  Nancy  Hanks,  "  either  volunteered,  or  was 
employed,  to  preach  a  sermon,  which  should  commemorate 
the  many  virtues  and  pass  in  silence  the  few  frailties  of  the 
poor  woman  who  slept  in  the  forest."  (p.  28.) 

He  affirms  that  when  Lincoln  spoke  in  praise  of  his  mother, 
it  was  not  Nancy  Hanks,  but  Sarah  Bush  whom  he  had  in 
mind.  He  leaves  the  reader  in  no  manner  of  doubt  that 
Lincoln  had  no  occasion  to  be  proud  of  his  own  mother,  whose 
frailty  in  the  matter  that  resulted  in  his  birth  was  a  matter 
to  be  forgiven  in  view  of  his  being  a  better  man  than  Thomas 
Lincoln  could  have  begotten.  While  this  is  nowhere  affirmed 
in  this  blunt  language,  it  is  the  evident  belief  of  Lamon,  and 
is  the  impression  left  and  intended  to  be  left  by  the  perusal 
of  the  book. 

Lamon  thus  describes  Nancy  Hanks: 

Nancy  Hanks,  who  accepted  the  honor  which  Sarah  Bush 
declined,  was  a  slender,  symmetrical  woman  of  medium  stat 
ure,  with  dark  hair,  with  regular  features,  and  soft,  sparkling, 
hazel  eyes.  Tenderly  bred,  she  might  have  been  beautiful; 
but  hard  labor  and  hard  usage  bent  her  handsome  form,  and 
imparted  an  unnatural  coarseness  to  her  features  long  before 
the  period  of  her  death.  Toward  the  close;  her  life  and  her 
face  were  equally  sad;  and  the  latter  habitually  wore  the 
woeful  expression  which  afterward  distinguished  the  coun 
tenance  of  her  son  in  repose. 

By  her  family,  her  understanding  was  considered  some 
thing  wonderful.  John  Hanks  spoke  reverently  of  her  "  high 


46    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

and  intellectual  forehead,"  which  he  considered  but  the  proper 
seat  of  faculties  like  hers.  Compared  with  the  mental  pov 
erty  of  her  husband  and  relatives,  her  accomplishments  were 
certainly  very  great;  for  it  is  related  by  them  with  pride  that 
she  could  actually  read  and  write.  The  possession  of  these 
arts  placed  her  far  above  her  associates,  and  after  a  little 
time  even  Tom  began  to  meditate  upon  the  importance  of 
acquiring  them.  He  set  to  work,  accordingly,  in  real  earnest, 
having  a  competent  mistress  so  near  at  hand;  and  with  much 
effort  she  taught  him  what  letters  composed  his  name,  and 
how  to  put  them  together  in  a  stiff  and  clumsy  fashion. 
Henceforth  he  signed  no  more  by  making  his  mark;  but  it 
is  nowhere  stated  that  he  ever  learned  to  write  anything  else, 
or  to  read  either  written  or  printed  letters,  (p.  n.) 

On  all  these  matters,  Lamon's  authority  for  his  facts  was 
Herndon,  who  vigorously,  and  truthfully,  denied  having  writ 
ten  any  part  of  Lamon's  book,  affirming  that  Black  "  wrote 
quite  every  word  of  it,"  but  who  sold  to  Lamon  for  $2,000, 
copies  of  all  his  manuscripts,  and  furnished  data  which 
Lamon,  or  Black,  used. 

Lamon  does  not  assume  responsibility  for  the  story  that 
Abraham  Lincoln's  father  was  Abraham  Enlow,  but  he  takes 
pains  to  make  light  of  Dennis  Hanks'  refutation  of  it: 

In  the  gallery  of  family  portraits  painted  by  Dennis,  every 
face  looks  down  upon  us  with  the  serenity  of  innocence  and 
virtue.  There  is  no  spot  on  the  fame  of  any  one  of  them. 
No  family  could  have  a  more  vigorous  or  chivalrous  defender 
than  he,  or  one  who  repelled  with  greater  scorn  any  rumor  to 
their  discredit.  That  Enlow  story!  Dennis  almost  scorned 
to  confute  it;  but  when  he  did  get  at  it,  he  settled  it  by  a 
magnanimous  exercise  of  inventive  genius.  He  knew  this 
"  Abe  Enlow  "  well,  he  said,  and  he  had  been  dead  precisely 
fifty-five  years  (pp.  47,  48)  .8 

Lamon  takes  pains  to  bring  in  the  name  of  Enlow,  however, 
in  an  unexplained  fight  with  Thomas  Lincoln,  whose  attendant 

*  If  Dennis  gave  this  testimony  in  1865,  Abraham  Enlow  had  been 
dead  not  precisely  fifty-five  years,  but  only  four  years.  He  died  in  1861. 


WHAT  DID  LAMON  THINK?  47 

and  unrecorded  circumstances  he  declares  afforded  one  of  the 
reasons  why  the  family  was  willing  to  leave  Kentucky  and 
migrate  to  Indiana: 

It  has  pleased  some  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  biographers  to  repre 
sent  this  removal  of  his  father  as  a  flight  from  the  taint  of 
slavery.  Nothing  could  be  farther  from  the  truth.  .  .  .  He 
was  gaining  neither  riches  nor  credit;  and  being  a  wanderer 
by  natural  inclination,  began  to  long  for  a  change.  His  de 
cision,  however,  was  hastened  by  certain  troubles  which  cul 
minated  in  a  desperate  combat  between  him  and  one  Abraham 
Enlow.  They  fought  like  savages;  but  Lincoln  obtained  a 
signal  and  permanent  advantage  by  biting  off  the  nose  of  his 
antagonist,  so  that  he  went  bereft  all  the  days  of  his  life,  and 
published  his  audacity  and  its  punishment  wherever  he  showed 
his  face.  But  the  affray,  and  the  fame  of  it,  made  Lincoln 
more  than  ever  anxious  to  escape  from  Kentucky  (p.  16). 

It  is  usually  the  vanquished,  not  the  victor,  who  feels  the 
disgrace  of  living  in  the  place  where  he  has  had  a  fight.  The 
reader  is  compelled  to  ask,  and  Lamon — or  Black — intended 
that  he  should  ask,  what  injury  roused  the  usually  good 
natured  Tom  Lincoln  to  such  fury,  and  why  the  fame  of  his 
successful  battle  should  have  driven  him  from  the  scene  of  his 
prowess. 

The  answer  to  all  these  questions  is  that  Lamon,  or  Black, 
apparently  intended  to  leave  the  impression  that  Abraham 
Enlow  was  the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  that  Thomas 
Lincoln  knew  it,  and  that  Abraham  Lincoln  knew  or  at  least 
suspected  it. 

Ward  Hill  Lamon  had  great  reason  to  love  Abraham 
Lincoln.  They  were  long  and  intimately  associated  in  Illinois, 
where  Lamon's  habits  were  in  many  respects  very  different 
from  those  of  Lincoln.  Lincoln  made  Lamon  marshal  of  the 
District  of  Columbia  for  the  sake  of  having  him  close  at  hand, 
and  kept  him  there  in  spite  of  the  almost  imperative  demand 
of  Congress  for  his  removal.  Lamon  professed  to  the  end 
of  his  life  to  have  been  Lincoln's  true  friend ;  and  his  daughter, 
Dorothy  Lamon  Teillard,  has  made  that  claim  for  her  father 


48    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

in  two  editions  of  his  Recollections  of  Lincoln  (a  very  dif 
ferent  book  from  his  biography  of  Lincoln)  and  in  a  magazine 
article  of  her  own.  But  if  ever  a  man  had  reason  to  pray  to 
be  delivered  from  his  friends,  Lincoln  had  such  reason  with 
respect  to  certain  matters  which  related  to  the  parentage  and 
virtue  of  his  mother. 


CHAPTER  VI 
WHAT  DID  HERNDON  THINK  ABOUT  IT? 

WHAT  Mr.  Herndon  thought  has  usually  been  inferred  from 
the  passage  already  quoted  in  which  he  relates  what  Lincoln 
said  to  him  about  his  mother.  Herndon  certainly  believed  that 
Nancy  Hanks  was  of  illegitimate  birth:  did  he  also  believe 
that  she  was  the  mother  of  an  illegitimate  son?  Most  readers 
of  his  book,  including  his  biographer,  Dr.  Joseph  Fort  Newton, 
answer  unhesitatingly  in  the  affirmative.  That,  it  must  be  con 
fessed,  is  a  natural  inference. 

In  his  preface,  Herndon  prepares  his  readers  for  "  ghastly 
exposures,"  and  says  that  Lincoln  rose  from  a  lower  depth 
than  any  other  great  man;  although  some  great  men  have  risen 
from  very  low  down  in  the  social  and  ancestral  scale.  He  says : 

Some  persons  will  doubtless  object  to  the  narration  of  cer 
tain  facts  which  appear  here  for  the  first  time,  and  which  they 
contend  should  have  been  consigned  to  the  tomb.  Their  pre 
tense  is  that  no  good  can  come  from  such  ghastly  exposures. 
To  such  over-sensitive  souls,  if  any  such  exist,  my  answer  is 
that  these  facts  are  indispensable  to  a  full  knowledge  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  in  all  the  walks  of  life.  .  .  . 

In  determining  Lincoln's  title  to  greatness  we  must  not  only 
keep  in  mind  the  times  in  which  he  lived,  but  we  must,  to  a 
certain  extent,  measure  him  with  other  men.  Many  of  our 
great  men  and  our  statesmen,  it  is  true,  have  been  self-made, 
rising  gradually  through  struggles  to  the  topmost  round  of  the 
ladder;  but  Lincoln  rose  from  a  lower  depth  than  any  of  them 
— from  a  stagnant,  putrid  pool,  like  the  gas  which,  set  on  fire 
by  its  own  energy  and  self-combustible  nature,  rises  in  jets, 
blazing,  clear  and  bright.  I  should  be  remiss  in  my  duty  if  I 
did  not  throw  the  light  on  this  part  of  the  picture.  .  .  . 
"  God's  naked  truth  "  as  Carlyle  puts  it,  can  never  injure  the 
fame  of  Abraham  Lincoln. — Herndon' s  Lincoln,  ix,  x. 

49 


50    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Herndon  recorded  that  Mr.  Weik  had  spent  much  time  in 
investigating  traditions  regarding  Lincoln's  paternity,  par 
ticularly  one  current  in  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky,  "  that 
Thomas  Lincoln,  for  a  consideration  from  one  Abraham  In- 
low,  a  miller  there,  assumed  the  paternity  of  the  infant  child 
of  a  poor  girl  named  Nancy  Hanks;  and  after  marriage,  re 
moved  with  her  to  Washington  or  Hardin  County,  where  the 
son,  who  was  named  Abraham,  after  his  real,  and  Lincoln, 
after  his  putative  father,  was  born"  (p.  6).  Against  this 
tradition,  he  cites  "  the  well  established  fact  that  the  first-born 
child  of  the  real  Nancy  Lincoln  was  not  a  boy,  but  a  girl;  and 
that  the  marriage  did  not  take  place  in  Bourbon  but  in  Wash 
ington  County." 

He  tells  the  camp-meeting  story  to  show  the  uproarious 
and  somewhat  affectionate  manner  in  which  the  Hanks  girls 
took  their  religion,  and  his  references  to  the  Hanks  family  are 
not  respectful,  though  they  lack  the  open  contempt  which 
Lamon  displays  for  both  the  Hankses  and  "  old  Tom  Lincoln." 
His  allusion  to  the  funeral  of  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln,  and  to 
Parson  Elkin's  passing  in  silence  the  "  few  shortcomings  and 
frailties  "of  the  poor  woman,  is  suggestive,  though  not  con 
clusive. 

On  the  whole,  it  is  not  surprising  that  readers  of  the  first 
edition  of  Herndon's  book  generally  believed  that  Herndon 
believed  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  not  the  son  of  Thomas 
Lincoln,  and  that  those  who  read  the  later  edition  were  left  in 
doubt. 

There  is  a  manuscript  of  Herndon's,  which  has  never  seen 
the  light  of  publicity,  in  which  he  goes  farther  into  this  matter. 
It  is  not  a  letter,  but  a  little  treatise  with  a  caption.  For  what 
purpose  he  prepared  it  I  am  not  quite  sure.  He  loaned  it  to 
a  correspondent,  permitting  him  to  keep  it  until  he  called  for 
it,  and  he  never  called  for  it.  I  shall  presently  quote  it  in 
full,  and  with  it  will  close  this  chapter. 

The  little  tract  which  I  am  about  to  quote  is  a  remarkable 
document.  It  is  written  on  four  pages,  letter  size,  and  for 
many  years  was  in  private  hands.  It  is  now  in  an  important 
collection,  in  a  fire-proof  building,  but  is  not  shown  to  the 


WHAT  DID  HERNDON  THINK?        51 

curious,  and  I  am  informed  by  its  custodian  that  it  has  never 
been  copied  except  by  myself.  It  is  safe  from  destruction, 
either  by  fire  or  caprice,  and  scholars  will  find  it  as  they  have 
occasion. 

In  this  document,  Dennis  Hanks  is  directly  addressed,  but 
the  tract  was  not  intended  as  a  letter  to  Dennis.  Herndon  is 
answering  to  himself  the  rebuke  which  the  Hanks  family  will, 
as  he  believes,  visit  upon  him,  if  he  publishes  the  statement  that 
Abraham  Lincoln's  mother's  name  was  Hanks  and  not  Spar 
row.  Herndon  believed  that  Dennis  knew  that  Nancy  was 
illegitimate,  as  Dennis  himself  was,  and  probably  believed 
also  that  Dennis  thought  Abraham  illegitimate ;  but  that  Dennis 
was  shrewd  and  sly  and  willing  to  lie  about  a  matter  which 
Abraham  Lincoln,  sharing  the  same  belief  concerning  his 
mother,  met  with  silence,  because  Abraham  Lincoln  was  too 
honest  to  lie  like  Dennis. 

Readers  of  Herndon's  book  have  been  left  in  doubt  of  his 
own  opinion  as  to  the  illegitimacy  of  Nancy  Hanks  herself: 
but  they  have  not  always  been  sure  just  what  he  intended  to 
imply  as  to  Abraham  Lincoln's  own  paternity.  On  that  sub 
ject  his  book  is  purposely  somewhat  vague.  Herndon  had  some 
of  the  shrewdness  of  Dennis.  This  little  tract  leaves  no  room 
for  question  that  at  the  time  of  its  composition,  Herndon  was 
inclined  to  believe  not  only  that  Nancy  Hanks  was  illegitimate 
but  that  she  gave  birth  to  an  illegitimate  son,  whose  name  was 
Abraham  and  whose  proper  surname  was  not  Lincoln. 

This  little  tract  has  appended  to  it  a  footnote  in  Hern 
don's  own  handwriting,  saying,  "  These  notes  were  made  about 
20  August,  1887,  at  Greencastle,  Ind.,  when  I  was  writing  the 
Life  of  Lincoln,  or  helping  to  do  so.'*  I  believe  this  footnote 
to  be  erroneous.  I  have  compared  this  document  with  the 
notes  which  Herndon  made  at  Greencastle,  and  he  used  a 
wholly  different  kind  of  paper  and  ink.  This  little  tract  is 
much  older  than  his  Greencastle  papers,  and  the  note  was  made 
afterward.  This  was  a  document  which  he  had  previously 
prepared,  and  which  he  probably  took  with  him  to  Green 
castle,  and  loaned  it  to  a  correspondent  with  other  matter 
which  he  prepared  there.  In  supplying  the  date,  he  made 


52    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

the  mistake  of  thinking  that  he  had  written  it  there.  Such 
mistakes  Herndon  sometimes  made. 

I  think  he  prepared  this  little  tract  between  1866  and  1871. 
I  think  it  was  in  existence  when  Lamon  wrote  his  book.  A 
comparison  of  the  language  of  this  tract  with  Lamon's  refer 
ence  to  the  zeal  of  Dennis  for  the  reputation  of  the  Hanks 
family,  will,  I  think,  convince  the  critical  student  that  Lamon 
had  this  before  him,  or  at  least  that  Herndon  had  by  1871 
formulated  his  own  ideas  in  essentially  this  form.  It  was 
probably  written  not  many  months  after  the  date  of  the  letter 
of  Dennis,  February,  1866.  The  ink,  paper  and  handwriting, 
when  compared  with  the  Greencastle  manuscript,  show  clearly 
that  it  is  several  years  older  than  those. 

Whether  this  was  Herndon's  final  opinion,  we  shall  learn 
toward  the  end  of  this  book.  It  certainly  was  in  his  mind 
when  he  furnished  his  material  to  Lamon. 

NANCY    HANKS 

By  William  H.  Herndon 

Dennis  Hanks  and  all  the  other  Hankses,  their  cousins  and 
relatives,  call  Nancy  Hanks,  Nancy  Sparrow.  Lucy  Hanks 
was  her  mother.  Lucy,  the  mother  of  Nancy,  married  Henry 
Sparrow.  Nancy  Hanks  was  taken  and  raised  by  Thomas 
and  Betsy  Sparrow.  Why  did  not  her  mother,  Lucy  Sparrow, 
keep  and  raise  her  own  daughter?  Did  Henry  Sparrow  ob 
ject  to  the  mother,  his  wife,  keeping  and  raising  her  own 
daughter  ? 

Dennis  Hanks  says  to  me,  this,  substantially,  (to  be  quoted 
word  for  word)  in  a  letter  written  by  him  to  me  dated  Feb. 
1866: 

"  Don't  call  her  Nancy  Hanks,  because  that  would  make  her 
base-born/' 

Very  well,  Dennis,  shrewd,  sly  Dennis!  It  is  a  universal 
custom,  habit  and  practical  rule  of  all  English-speaking  people, 
including  the  American,  as  a  matter  of  course,  to  call  all  il 
legitimate  children  after  and  from  the  mother's  name  and  not 
the  father's  name,  because  of  the  cruel  fiction  of  the  law  that 
such  children  are  supposed  to  be  the  children  of  no  one — a 
rather  rash  presumption,  I  willingly  admit. 


WHAT  DID  HERNDON  THINK?         53 

If  Henry  Sparrow  had  been  the  father  of  Nancy  Hanks, 
then  she  ought  by  law  and  justice  be  called  Nancy  Sparrow; 
but,  unfortunately,  Henry  Sparrow,  the  husband  of  her 
mother,  was  not  her  father. 

Nancy  Hanks  was  born  before  her  mother  was  married  to 
Henry  Sparrow.  How  is  this,  Dennis? 

Abraham  Lincoln,  always  honest  and  truthful,  says  sub 
stantially  under  his  own  hand  in  a  short  life  of  himself  written 
at  Springfield,  Illinois,  to  be  a  kind  of  campaign  biography  of 
'60,  this: 

"My  mother's  name  is  Nancy  Hanks";  or,  to  put  it 
exactly,  Lincoln  says,  in  that  short  biography  of  himself 
written  to  Fell,  "  My  mother,  who  died  in  my  infancy,  was 
of  a  family  of  the  name  of  Hanks." 

Why  did  he  not  say,  if  such  was  the  truth,  that  she  was  of 
the  family  of  the  Sparrows? 

Simply  because  she  was  not  of  the  Sparrow  family. 
Lincoln  knew  her  origin,  but  kept  it  to  himself  in  that  Fell 
biography. 

I  guess  I  can  state  what  Lincoln  himself  states  in  that 
matter;  and  if  to  call  her  Hanks  is  to  make  her  base-born , 
charge  her  son  with  the  offense ! 

Dennis,  sly,  shrewd  Dennis,  wishes  to  cover  up  the  truth, 
smother  up  the  sad  fact,  if  it  be  such.  Lincoln  boldly  and 
truthfully  speaks  out. 

And  now  the  question  comes,  Who  was  the  father  of  Nancy 
Hanks,  Lincoln's  mother? 

Lucy  Hanks,  her  mother,  was  never  married  to  any  Hanks, 
so  far  as  I  can  find  out,  nor  to  any  other  person  before  or 
after  she  married  Henry  Sparrow,  or  before  she  had  Nancy. 
When  Nancy  Hanks  was  born,  who  was  Lucy  Hanks'  hus 
band?  This  is  quite  a  pertinent  question.  What  did  Lincoln 
say  to  Scripps,  his  campaign  biographer? 

No  one  need  for  this  matter  rely  on  what  I  say  or  have 
said,  that  Lincoln  told  me  his  mother  was  illegitimate.  He 
told  me  that  his  mother  was  an  illegitimate  child  of  a  Virginia 
planter  or  large  farmer.  However,  the  record  tells  its  own 
story,  and  speaks  for  itself;  and  had  not  the  record  spoken 
out,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  I  should  have  kept  the 
secret  forever,  though  I  was  not  forbidden  to  reveal  the  fact 
after  Lincoln's  death. 


54    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

I  never  uttered  this  to  mortal  man  directly  or  indirectly 
till  after  the  death  of  Lincoln. 

And  now  again,  who  was  the  father  of  Nancy  Hanks, 
the  mother  of  the  President  of  the  United  States? 

Will  some  gentleman,  some  lady,  kindly  tell  me? 

The  father  of  Nancy  Hanks  is  no  other  than  a  Virginia 
planter,  large  farmer,  of  the  highest  and  best  blood  of  Vir 
ginia;  and  it  is  just  here  that  Nancy  got  her  good,  rich  blood, 
tinged  with  genius. 

Mr.  Lincoln  told  me  that  she  was  a  genius,  and  that  he 
got  his  mind  from  her. 

Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln  was  a  woman  of  very  fine  cast  of 
mind,  an  excellent  heart,  quick  in  sympathy,  a  natural  lady, 
a  good  neighbor,  a  firm  friend.  Good  cheer  and  hilarity  gen 
erally  accompanied  her;  and  had  she  been  raised  at  all  [well] 
she  must  have  flourished  anywhere:  but  as  it  was,  she  was 
rude  and  rough,  breaking,  and  having  difficulty,  through  all 
forms,  conditions  and  customs,  habits,  etiquettes  of  society. 
She  could  not  be  held  to  forms  and  methods  of  things.  And 
yet  she  was  a  fine  woman,  naturally. 

It  is  quite  probable  that  a  knowledge  of  her  origin  had 
made  her  defiant  and  desperate.  She  was  very  sensitive,  and 
sometimes  gloomy.  Who  will  tell  me  the  amount  and  influ 
ence  of  her  feelings  in  this  matter,  caused  by  her  origin?  Let 
the  world  forgive  her,  and  bless  her,  is  my  constant  prayer. 

Lincoln  often  thought  of  committing  suicide.     Why? 

Did  the  knowledge  of  his  mother's  origin,  or  his  own, 
press  the  thought  of  suicide  upon  him? 

Who  will  weigh  the  force  of  such  an  idea  as  illegitimacy 
on  man  or  woman,  especially  when  that  man  or  woman  is 
very  sensitive,  such  as  Lincoln  was?  God  help  such  people! 


CHAPTER  VII 
THE  COLEMAN  PAMPHLET 

ABOUT  the  end  of  the  nineteenth  century  appeared  a  pamphlet 
entitled,  The  Evidence  that  Abraham  Lincoln  Was  Not  Born 
in  Lawful  Wedlock;  Or,  The  Sad  Story  of  Nancy  Hanks.  It 
was  badly  printed,  with  many  typographical  errors,  but  was 
rather  well  written.  It  was  signed  "  Wm.  M.  C,  Dallas, 
Texas."  It  contained  sixteen  pages,  and  was  marked  to  sell 
for  twenty-five  cents.  It  did  not  sell  as  well  as  had  been 
expected,  and  the  author  disposed  of  his  remainder  to  a  New 
York  dealer.  Some  correspondence  was  had  between  them, 
which  the  dealer  kept  for  some  years,  and  subsequently  sought 
for  at  the  request  of  the  present  writer.  It  could  not  be  found, 
however,  and  all  that  the  dealer  remembered  was  that  the 
author  of  the  pamphlet,  William  M.  Coleman,  seemed  to  him 
an  "  unreconstructed  Rebel,"  with  much  prejudice  against  Lin 
coln;  but  he  writes  me  that  his  recollection  is  too  misty  for 
him  to  be  confident  of  anything  further. 

The  Seventh  Volume  of  Who's  Who  in  America  contains 
a  sketch  of  Coleman,  but  the  sketch  dropped  out  of  succeed 
ing  volumes,  and  the  Library  of  Congress  has  been  unable  to 
locate  him  for  me.  He  probably  died  in  Washington  about 
1912.  I  have  only  one  other  of  his  pamphlets — a  vehement 
attack  on  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  called  by  him,  "  The  First 
Yankees." 

All  indirection  was  ended  by  the  Coleman  publication.  He 
did  not  leave  anything  to  be  inferred.  In  his  booklet,  a  spade 
was  called  a  sgade.  The  large  sale  which  he  expected  did 
not  occur,  but  his  outspoken  declaration  cleared  the  air  of  all 
uncertainty.  He  made  no  original  investigation,  but  he  made 
it  impossible  for  any  one  to  read  the  books  from  which  he 
quoted  without  remembering  what  construction  had  thus  been 
placed  upon  them. 

55 


56    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Coleman's  pamphlet  did  not  really  add  anything  to  what 
had  already  been  printed  by  Lamon  and  Herndon,  except  that 
it  assembled  under  one  caption  what  they  had  said  in  various 
places,  and  by  skillful  arrangement  put  the  worst  possible 
face  upon  it.  That,  however,  was  probably  what  might  have 
been  expected.  The  conclusions  which  Coleman  deduced  from 
the  Lamon  and  Herndon  material  were  warranted  by  what 
those  two  had  published. 

The  following  pages  contain  the  essential  parts  of  the 
Coleman  argument.  The  last  pages  of  his  booklet  are  devoted 
to  a  synopsis  of  the  Cathey  book  which  we  shall  examine  later. 
Apparently  Coleman  had  written  his  own  booklet  without 
knowing  of  Cathey  and  his  theory,  but  he  learned  of  it  be 
fore  his  pamphlet  was  printed,  and  included  a  review  of  it 
without  attempting  to  harmonize  its  theory  with  his  own.  As 
we  shall  come  to  the  Cathey  book  in  due  time,  we  may  omit 
those  portions,  as  also  the  preface  and  the  rather  labored  intro 
duction  which  occupy  the  first  few  pages  of  Coleman's  booklet. 


FROM  THE  COLEMAN  PAMPHLET 

It  is  agreed  on  all  sides  that  Mr.  Lincoln  knew  but  little, 
and  cared  still  less,  about  his  family  history,  and  that  he 
sedulously  avoided  any  reference  to  it.  It  is  certain  that  he  is 
mistaken,  if  he  is  correctly  quoted,  when  he  said  that  both  his 
parents  were  born  in  Virginia. 

The  name  of  his  reputed  father,  was  Thomas  Linkhorn, 
or  Linkern,  (for  it  is  found  spelled  both  ways).  It  was  first 
changed  by  Mr.  Lincoln  himself  to  "  Lincoln,"  and  it  may  be 
added  by  way  of  parenthesis,  that,  taken  in  connection  with 
other  facts  in  this  history,  this  change  of  name  may  not  be 
without  its  significance.  Why  should  he  bear  the  name  "  Link- 
horn,"  if  that  person  was  not  his  father?  Then,  again,  the 
simplicity  of  his  character  will  not  allow  us  to  suppose  that  he 
refused  the  name  of  his  own  father  and  assumed  a  loftier 
sounding  one  from  petty  vanity. 

Wherever  Nancy  Hanks  may  have  come  from,  it  is  be 
yond  doubt,  that  the  father  of  Thomas — for  whom  some 
writers  have  forged  the  Christian  name  of  Abraham — migrated 


THE  COLEMAN  PAMPHLET  57 

from  Virginia  to  Kentucky,  and  that  Thomas  was  born  in  the 
last  named  state. 

Widespread  traditions  exist  that  the  son  of  Nancy  Hanks 
was  not  a  legitimate  child. 

Writing  upon  this  subject  Mr.  Herndon  says : 

"  Regarding  the  paternity  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  a  great  many 
surmises  and  a  still  larger  amount  of  unwritten,  or  at  least 
unpublished,  history  has  drifted  into  the  currents  of  Western 
lore  and  journalism. 

"  A  number  of  such  traditions  are  extant  in  Kentucky  and 
other  localities.  Mr.  Weik  has  spent  a  considerable  time  in 
investigating  the  truth  of  a  report  current  in  Bourbon  county, 
Kentucky,  that  Thomas  Lincoln,  for  a  consideration  from  one 
Abraham  Enlow,  a  miller  there,  assumed  the  paternity  of  the 
infant  child  of  a  poor  girl,  named  Nancy  Hanks;  and  after 
marriage  removed  with  her  to  Hardin  county."  Mr.  Herndon 
adds  that  a  gentleman  of  Mt.  Sterling,  Kentucky,  who  had  been 
judge,  and  afterwards  was  an  editor,  published  a  paper  in 
support  of  this  contention. 

The  allegations  and  arguments  of  this  paper  are  not  given 
further  than  to  say  that  the  paper  alleged  a  resemblance  be 
tween  Inlow  (Enlow)  and  Mr.  Lincoln  in  facial  and  physical 
features,  in  extraordinary  stature  and  length  of  limb. 

Herndon's  reply,  however,  is  feeble.  He  says  the  Bible 
record  shows  that  Abraham  was  the  second  child. 

In  reply  to  Mr.  Herndon  it  is  to  be  remarked,  that  this 
Bible  record,  made  by  Abraham  Lincoln,  contained  no  entry 
of  the  birth  or  marriage  of  his  mother;  and  in  regard  to 
Abraham  being  the  second  child,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  entries  were  made  by  Mr.  Lincoln  himself  long  years  after 
the  events  recorded,  and  admitting  for  a  moment,  that  he  was 
illegitimate,  and  that  he  knew  it,  it  was  a  pious  act  in  him  to 
cover  his  mother's  shame  as  far  as  in  his  power  to  do  so,  by 
making  his  sister  older  than  himself  in  the  Bible  record. 

There  is  also  an  account  given  by  Lamon  of  a  collision 
between  Thomas  Linkhorn  and  Abraham  Enlow,  or  Inlow, 
which  has  its  significance.  Mr.  Lamon  says :  "  They  fought 
like  savages;  but  Lincoln  (Linkhorn)  obtained  a  signal  and 
permanent  advantage  by  biting  off  Enlow's  nose."  'f  This 
affray  and  the  fame  of  it,"  continues  Lamon,  "  made  Lincoln 
(Linkhorn)  more  anxious  than  ever  to  escape  from  Ken- 


58    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

tucky."  We  are  left  to  form  our  own  conjecture  about  the 
origin  of  the  quarrel;  no  cause  is  assigned.  But  is  not  this 
desperate  affray  a  powerful  corroboration  of  the  tradition  that 
an  illicit  relation  existed,  or  was  supposed  by  Linkhorn  to  have 
existed,  between  Nancy  Hanks  and  Enlow;  and  may  we  not 
presume  that  the  fight  was  about  her?  And  was  not  the  in 
creased  desire  of  Linkhorn  to  get  away  from  Kentucky  owing 
to  the  fact  that  he  felt  himself  disgraced  by  the  publicity  given 
to  the  scandal  by  his  fight  with  Enlow?  Is  this  an  unreason 
able  supposition?  Does  it  not,  on  the  contrary,  serve  to  fill 
out,  explain,  bring  into  harmony,  and  strengthen  the  other 
traditions  relating  to  President  Lincoln's  birth  ? 

Linkhorn  did  not  remove  from  Kentucky  to  fly  from 
slavery  and  locate  in  a  free  state  where  toil  was  honorable,  as 
narrated  by  the  romancers;  for  he  was  no  toiler;  but,  from  all 
accounts,  an  ignorant,  shiftless  vagabond.  Besides,  there  was 
not  at  that  time,  fifty  slaves  in  the  county;  his  more  fortunate 
relatives  were  slave  owners,  and  there  is  no  reason  in  sup 
posing  that  he  differed  in  opinion  from  other  men  of  his  class, 
of  Southern  birth.  This  story  of  his  desire  to  escape  from 
a  land  of  slavery  is  of  a  piece  with  those  fictions  which  describe 
the  Linkhorn  tumble-down  shanty,  fourteen  feet  square  in  an 
Elizabethtown  valley,  where  the  inmates  lived  in  squalid  pov 
erty,  as  a  frugal  Christian  home;  the  father  a  gallant  frontiers 
man  and  the  mother  a  Roman  matron  of  the  wilderness.  One 
estimable  New  England  lady,  not  satisfied  with  tracing  the 
blood  of  the  Hanks  to  the  Saxon  Kings  of  England,  carries  it 
back  to  the  Egyptian  dynasties,  because  in  the  old  Egyptian 
language  she  says  there  is  a  word,  "and"  (Hank)  meaning 
soul! 

Nancy  Hanks  is  described  as  being  a  beautiful  girl,  with 
pleasing  manners,  slender  and  symmetrical  form,  and  above 
the  ordinary  height;  a  brunette  with  dark  hair  and  soft  hazel 
eyes,  and  a  high  intellectual  forehead.  It  is  further  remarked 
of  her  that  she  always  wore  a  marked  melancholy  expression 
which  fixed  itself  upon  the  memory  of  everyone  who  knew  or 
saw  her.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know  if  she  was  possessed 
of  this  melancholy  disposition  before  her  marriage,  and  if  so, 
when  or  how  it  originated. 

The  reticence  of  Mr.  Lincoln  about  his  mother  has  been 
alluded  to.  Mr.  Lamon  says :  "  While  he  seldom  if  ever  spoke 


THE  COLEMAN  PAMPHLET  59 

of  his  own  mother,  he  loved  to  dwell  on  the  beautiful  character 
of  Sally  Bush." 

Young  Abraham  Lincoln  was  ten  years  old  when  his  mother 
died.  The  dearest  and  sweetest  memories  and  associations 
which. remain  of  a  mother  in  after  years  are  those  which  are 
fixed  within  the  first  ten  years  of  life.  Mr.  Lincoln's  nature 
was  deeply  affectionate.  Why,  then,  this  strange  silence  in 
regard  to  his  own  mother  and  the  lavishing  of  all  his  affections 
on  his  stepmother,  Sally  Bush?  Mr.  Lincoln  aspired  to  posi 
tion  in  social  as  well  as  political  life;  and  it  may  well  be  that  a 
knowledge  of  his  mother's  frailty  and  his  own  origin  (prob 
ably  told  him  by  his  stepmother)  cast  upon  him  that  pall  of 
melancholy  which  shadowed  all  his  life. 

In  the  autobiography  which  Mr.  Lincoln  gave  to  Fell,  he 
disposes  of  his  mother  in  three  lines,  giving  her  Christian  or 
maiden  name,  and  saying  she  came  of  a  family  of  the  name  of 
Hanks. 

Sally  Bush  first  brought  sunshine  into  young  Lincoln's 
life.  She  was  a  kind,  good,  and  noble  woman;  devotedly  at 
tached  to  her  step-son,  and  he  no  less  devoted  to  her.  He 
always  spoke  of  her  in  after  life  as  his  "  saintly  mother,"  his 
"  angel  mother;  "  and  yet,  she  did  one  thing  which  is  utterly 
inconsistent  with  her  character  unless  an  explanation  can  be 
given.  She  changed  the  name  of  the  girl,  who  had  been  named 
Nancy,  after  her  mother,  to  Sarah.  Unaccounted  for,  this  was 
a  mean  and  contemptible  act.  Why  should  not  the  child  be 
permitted  to  bear  her  mother's  name?  If  Sally  Bush  had 
some  good  reason  to  obliterate  from  the  child's  mind,  as  far 
as  possible,  all  recollections  of  her  mother,  then  her  conduct 
is  in  keeping  with  her  character;  otherwise  it  is  not.  Her 
singular  silence,  too,  in  all  that  related  to  Nancy  Hanks  when 
Mr.  Herndon  visited  and  interviewed  her  after  the  assassina 
tion  of  President  Lincoln  is  an  additional  ground  for  the  be 
lief  that  she  held  the  key  to  the  secret. 

Mr.  Herndon  says:  "  There  was  something  about  his  (Lin 
coln's)  origin,  that  he  never  cared  to  dwell  on." 

After  his  nomination  for  the  presidency,  Mr.  J.  L.  Scripps, 
of  the  Chicago  Tribune,  went  to  Mr.  Lincoln  and  asked  for 
material  for  a  history  of  his  life.  Mr.  Lincoln  replied  that  it 
was  folly  to  attempt  to  make  anything  out  of  his  early  years. 
Soon  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  Scripps  wrote  to  Mr. 


60    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Herndon  as  follows:  "He  (Mr.  Lincoln)  communicated  some 
facts  to  me  concerning  his  ancestry  which  he  did  not  wish  to 
be  published  then,  and  which  I  have  never  spoken  of  or  alluded 
to  before." 

What  these  facts  were,  Mr.  Scripps  did  not  tell  even  to 
Mr.  Herndon,  who  had  been  Mr.  Lincoln's  most  intimate 
friend,  and  who  was  then  collecting  material  for  his  biography. 

How  is  the  silence  of  Mr.  Scripps  under  the  circumstances 
to  be  accounted  for?  On  one  ground  only,  the  communica 
tions  must  have  been  of  such  a  nature  that  an  honorable  man 
could  not  use  them  without  permission.  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
dead,  and  Mr.  Scripps  died  without  revealing  them.  Was 
this  the  secret? 

The  treatment  of  young  Lincoln  by  his  mother's  husband 
requires  explanation.  Cruelty  is  not  a  trait  of  such  indolent, 
happy-go-lucky,  contented  tramps  as  Thomas  Linkhorn  is 
represented  to  have  been.  Col.  Chapman,  who  knew  as  much 
about  the  family  as  any  one  outside  of  its  circle,  and  who 
had  possession  of  the  Bible  containing  the  records,  is  quoted 
by  Mr.  Lamon,  as  saying :  "  Abe's  father  habitually  treated 
him  with  great  barbarity."  Can  his  treatment  of  the  boy  be 
connected  with  liis  "  savage  fight "  with  Abraham  Enlow  and 
a  knowledge  that  the  boy  was  not  his  child  ? 

There  is  abundant  evidence  that  the  Hanks  were  low  and 
ignorant  people.  Mr.  Herndon  quotes  from  a  manuscript  of 
Mr.  J.  B.  Helms  in  which  it  is  said :  "  The  Hanks  girls  were 
great  at  camp-meeting."  Mr.  Helms  then  proceeded  to  relate 
a  scene  of  which  he  was  an  eye  witness  at  Elizabeth  town,  and 
in  which  one  of  the  young  ladies  of  the  Hanks  family  figured 
conspicuously.  He  writes: 

"  I  remember  one  camp-meeting  in  1806.  A  general  shout 
was  about  to  commence.  Preparations  were  being  made.  A 
young  lady  invited  me  to  stand  on  a  bench  where  we  could 
see  all  over  the  altar.  To  the  right,  a  strong  athletic  young 
man,  about  twenty-five  years  old,  was  being  put  in  trim  for  the 
occasion,  which  was  done  by  divesting  him  of  all  apparel  ex 
cept  shirt  and  pants.  On  the  left,  a  young  lady  was  being  put 
in  tune  in  much  the  same  manner,  so  that  her  clothes  would 
not  be  in  the  way,  and  so  that  when  her  combs  flew  out,  her 
hair  would  go  into  graceful  braids.  She,  too,  was  young,  not 
more  than  twenty.  The  performance  commenced  about  the 


THE  COLEMAN  PAMPHLET  61 

same  time  by  the  young  man  on  the  right,  and  the  young  lady 
on  the  left.  Slowly  and  gracefully  they  worked  their  way 
towards  the  center,  singing,  shouting,  and  hugging  and  kiss 
ing  (generally  their  own  sex)  approaching  each  other  nearer 
and  nearer.  The  center  of  the  altar  was  reached,  and  the  two 
closed  with  their  arms  around  each  other,  the  man  singing  and 
shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice : 

'  I  have  my  Jesus  in  my  arms, 
Sweet  as  honey,  strong  as  bacon  hams." 

"Just  at  this  moment,  the  young  lady  holding  my  arm 
whispered,  '  They  are  to  be  married  next  week ;  her  name  is 
Hanks.' ' 

Mr.  Herndon  says  he  did  not  learn  whether  the  lady  per 
former  was  the  President's  mother  or  not.  "  The  fact  that 
Nancy  Hanks  did  marry  that  year,"  gives  color,  he  thinks,  to 
the  belief  that  it  was  she.  He  does  not  think,  however,  that 
her  hugging  partner  was  Thomas,  because  such  a  deed  re 
quired  an  enthusiasm  and  a  dash  beyond  the  capacity  of  that 
inert  individual. 

There  was  undoubtedly  irregular  blood  in  some  of  the 
Hanks  women.  Mr.  Herndon  says  he  has  the  written  state 
ment  of  Dennis  Hanks,  the  son  of  an  aunt  of  the  President's 
mother,  that  he  came  into  the  world  by  nature's  back  door. 

We  give  in  Mr.  Herndon's  own  words  what  Mr.  Lincoln 
told  him  about  his  mother.  Mr.  Herndon  says  (Chapter  I, 
page  3) : 

"  It  was  about  1850,  when  he  and  I  were  driving  in  his 
one-horse  buggy  to  the  court  in  Menard  county,  Illinois.  The 
suit  we  were  going  to  try  was  one  in  which  we  were  likely, 
either  directly  or  collaterally,  to  touch  upon  the  subject  of 
hereditary  traits.  During  the  ride  he  spoke  for  the  first  time 
in  my  hearing  of  his  mother,  dwelling  on  her  characteristics, 
and  mentioning  or  enumerating  what  qualities  he  inherited 
from  her.  He  said  among  other  things  that  she  was  the  il 
legitimate  daughter  of  Lucy  Hanks,  and  a  well-bred  Virginia 
farmer  or  planter;  and  he  argued  that  from  this  last  source 
came  his  power  of  analysis,  his  logic,  his  mental  activity,  his 
ambition  and  all  the  qualities  that  distinguished  him  from  the 
other  members  and  descendants  of  the  Hanks  family.  His 
theory  in  discussing  the  matter  of  hereditary  traits  had  been, 


62    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

that  for  certain  reasons  illegitimate  children  are  oftentimes 
sturdier  and  brighter  than  those  born  in  lawful  wedlock;  and 
in  his  case  he  believed  that  his  better  nature  and  finer  qualities 
came  from  this  broad-minded  unknown  Virginian." 

Mr.  Herndon  continues:  "The  revelation — painful  as  it 
was — called  up  recollections  of  his  mother,  and,  as  the  buggy 
jolted  over  the  road,  he  added  ruefully,  *  God  bless  my  mother; 
all  that  I  am,  or  ever  hope  to  be,  I  owe  to  her/  and  immedi 
ately  lapsed  into  silence. 

"  Our  interchange  of  ideas  ceased,  and  we  rode  for  some 
time  without  exchanging  a  word.  He  was  sad  and  absorbed. 
Burying  himself  in  thought,  and  musing,  no  doubt,  over  the 
disclosure  he  had  just  made,  he  drew  round  him  a  barrier 
which  I  feared  to  penetrate.  His  words  and  melancholy  tone 
made  a  deep  impression  on  me.  It  was  an  experience  I  can 
never  forget." 

This  is  one  of  the  "  rare  occasions  "  when  Mr.  Lincoln 
made  mention  of  his  mother.  His  exclamation  of  pity  for 
her  is  suggestive  of  what  was  going  on  in  his  mind.  His 
melancholy  silence  is  even  more  so.  His  mother's  mother  had 
sinned,  and  his  own  mother  sinned  in  like  manner,  and  did  he 
know  it? 


PART   II:   THE   STORIES   AND   THE   EVI 
DENCE  IN  SUPPORT  OF  THEM 


PART   II:    THE    STORIES    AND    THE    EVI 
DENCE    IN    SUPPORT    OF    THEM 

CHAPTER  VIII 
ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN  COUNTY,  KENTUCKY 

WHAT  I  have  attempted  'thus  far  might  be  considered  a  literary 
and  chronological  introduction  to  the  subject  under  considera 
tion.  I  have  endeavored  to  trace  the  history  of  these  reports 
as  they  appeared  in  book  or  pamphlet  form  down  to  the  begin 
ning  of  the  year  1909,  the  centenary  of  the  birth  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  Concerning  two  books  that  appeared  in  that  year  we 
shall  have  much  to  say  later :  but  the  Coleman  pamphlet  may  be 
considered  as  a  summation  of  the  situation  as  it  existed  before 
the  appearance  of  the  flood  of  Lincoln  literature  which  the 
centenary  evoked.  Of  oral  tradition  and  newspaper  report  we 
shall  have  something  also  to  say,  and  in  due  order. 

We  are  now  at  a  stage  in  our  inquiry  where  it  will  be 
convenient  (to  consider  the  several  stories  separately :  for,  as 
Herndon  implied,  more  than  one  story  was  current  by  1889: 
and  by  1909  the  various  forms  in  which  the  legitimacy  of 
Lincoln  was  attacked,  admitted  of  classification. 

The  foregoing  chapters  present  a  background  for  these 
stories  and  for  their  subsequent  analysis.  I  now  propose  to 
present  in  successive  chapters  the  evidence  for  each  one  of 
these  in  turn. 

It  has  not  been  wholly  easy  to  organize  this  material,  and 
to  present  it  as  I  have  desired  to  do.  Even  the  order  in  which 
these  names  should  be  considered  has  given  rise  to  some  dif 
ficulty  ;  for  in  some  respects  the  order  in  which  it  seems  best 
to  introduce  them  is  not  the  most  satisfactory  order  for  their 
later  consideration.  But  the  method  which  I  have  chosen  will, 

65 


66    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

I  trust,  be  found  to  have  this  merit,  that  it  presents  each  theory 
candidly  and  fairly. 

I  begin  the  presentation  with  the  version  of  the  story 
which  has  long  been,  and  still  is,  current  in  the  county  where 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  born,  and  which  has  been  related  to  me 
repeatedly  there  on  successive  visits,  with  substantial  uniform 
ity  as  to  its  essential  features. 

The  form  in  which  this  story  is  related  in  and  about  Hod- 
genville  is  that  the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln  was  Abraham 
Enlow,  who  lived  in  that  part  of  Hardin  County  which  is  now 
La  Rue,  and  whose  home  was  near  to  that  of  the  Lincolns 
after  their  removal  from  Elizabethtown  and  their  settle 
ment  upon  their  own  farm  where  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
born. 

There  is  no  question  that  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  were 
married  when  they  came  to  Nolin  Creek,  and  to  the  vicinity 
of  Hodgen's  Mill.  And  'that  fact  gives  this  story  the  more 
ugly  form.  For,  if  Abraham  Enlow  of  Hodgenville  was  the 
father  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  it  was  not  a  case  in  which  an 
inexperienced  girl  was  betrayed,  but  one  in  which  a  woman 
two  years  married  and  already  the  mother  of  one  child, 
proved  faithless  to  her  husband  and  committed  adultery  with 
another  man. 

That,  according  to  this  story  in  its  developed  form,  was 
why  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Abraham  Enlow  had  their  terrible 
fight,  in  which  Lincoln  is  alleged  to  have  bitten  off  Enlow's 
nose. 

This  is  virtually  all  there  is  of  the  story.  There  are  no 
details  that  tell  how  it  happened.  The  Enlows  were  neighbors, 
and  people  of  property,  and  there  was  apparent  opportunity 
for  what  is  alleged  to  have  occurred.  The  Enlows  were  tall 
people  like  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  are  alleged  to  have  re 
sembled  him  more  than  did  Thomas  Lincoln. 

On  this  account,  so  it  is  said  by  Lamon,  Thomas  Lincoln 
left  Kentucky,  and  the  implication  is  that  the  removal  occurred 
because  people  knew  that  the  fight  Thomas  had  had  with  Enlow 
was  on  account  of  his  wife  Nancy. 

The  Enlows  still  live  in  that  part  of  the  country.  The  author 


ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN        67 

has  a  map  of  La  Rue  County  marking  every  creek,  road  and 
farm-house,  and  giving  the  name  of  every  resident.  The 
name  of  Enlow  still  is  common  there,  and  all  of  those  who 
bear  it  are  descendants  of  Abraham  Enlow.  The  people  of 
that  name  are  reputable  people.  Their  names  appear,  and  in 
honorable  relations,  in  the  La  Rue  County  papers.  Originally 
the  family  were  Baptists;  but  some  branches  of  it  are  now 
affiliated  with  the  Southern  Methodists.  The  men  are  Demo 
crats  and  during  the  war  the  sympathies  of  this  family  were 
with  the  South.  I  have  had  personal  interviews  with  several 
of  them,  and  considerable  correspondence  with  one,  a  grand 
son  of  Abraham  Enlow. 

In  this  and  the  following  chapters  I  follow  the  local  spelling 
of  particular  names.  Some  names  occur  which  are  differently 
spelled  in  different  parts  of  the  South.  Hence  we  shall  find 
an  Abraham  Enlow,  an  Abraham  Inlow  and  an  Abraham 
Enloe.  The  variant  spellings  are  given  with  intent.  As  we 
take  up  the  first  of  them,  Abraham  Enlow  of  Hardin  County, 
it  may  be  noted  here,  as  it  will  appear  later,  that  this  is  the 
present  orthography  of  the  name  in  that  locality.  But 
Abraham  Enlow's  father  spelled  it  Enlaws,  and  Abraham 
Enlow  himself,  to  the  end  of  his  life,  spelled  it  Enlows.  He 
was  the  son  of  Isom  Enlaws,  an  early  settler  in  Hardin  County, 
and  he  himself  was  born,  lived  and  died  there. 

This  book  must  contain  much  about  Abraham  Enlow.  The 
prominence  of  his  name  in  these  stories  has  necessitated  on 
the  part  of  the  author  of  this  book  a  diligent  effort  to  learn 
all  that  can  possibly  be  learned  about  the  man.  His  grave 
has  been  visited,  and  the  inscription  on  his  tombstone  copied. 
His  will  has  been  found  in  the  early  records  of  the  county 
where  he  lived,  and  a  certified  copy  made.  His  home  has  been 
located,  and  the  paths,  which  now  are  roads,  that  led  from  it 
to  the  home  of  Thomas  Lincoln  and  to  the  several  points  of 
interest  in  this  chronicle,  have  been  measured  upon  the  county 
map.  This  book  will  not  end  until  it  has  given  -to  Abraham 
Enlow  a  permanent  record.  He  will  be  found  a  character  not 
lacking  in  interest,  and  he  has  a  legitimate  place  in  this  nar 
rative. 


68    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

For  our  present  purpose  it  is  enough  to  know  that  there  was 
such  a  man,  one  of  the  old  residents  of  Hardin  County,  and 
of  that  part  of  it  which  afterward  became  La  Rue.  There  is 
nothing  that  we  require  to  know  about  him  which  will  not  be 
discovered  and  duly  attested  before  this  chronicle  ends. 


CHAPTER  IX 
GEORGE  BROWNFIELD 

THE  Brownfield  story  can  be  told  very  briefly,  but  it  is  im 
portant.  It  is  found  only  in  the  vicinity  of  Hodgenville. 

When  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  and  little  Sarah  moved 
from  Elizabethtown  into  that  part  of  Hardin  County  which 
is  now  La  Rue,  in  late  May  or  early  June  of  1808,  they  did 
not  immediately  go  to  their  own  farm.  The  summer  of  1808 
was  spent  on  the  farm  of  George  Brownfield,  where  Thomas 
Lincoln  lived  as  a  tenant,  and  worked  as  a  hired  laborer,  partly 
on  the  farm  and  partly  as  a  carpenter. 

George  Brownfield,  and  not  Abraham  Enlow,  so  this  story 
goes,  was  the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  The  Lincolns  had 
as  yet  no  known  dealings  with  Enlow,  and  may  not  even  have 
met  him,  not  having  as  yet  removed  to  the  Enlow  neighbor 
hood. 

George  Brownfield  had  sons,  who  were  tall  men  like  Lin 
coln,  one  of  them,  David,  was  a  very  tall  man,  with  unusually 
long  arms.  He  bore,  so  it  is  said,  a  striking  physical  resem 
blance  to  Abraham  Lincoln.  None  of  the  Enlows  looked  so 
much  like  Lincoln  as  did  David  Brownfield. 

That  is  the  Brownfield  story,  and  the  whole  of  it.  We 
shall  comment  upon  it  later.  It  now  takes  its  place  in  the 
list  as  one  of  the  stories  told  and  still  believed  by  some  people 
concerning  the  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

George  Brownfield,  like  Isom,  the  father  of  Abraham 
Enlow,  was  an  early  pioneer  to  Hardin  County,  arriving  there 
about  1794,  and  his  descendants  are  numerous  in  and  about 
Hodgenville.  They  bear  a  good  reputation.  Their  ancestor, 
George,  was  15orn  in  1773,  and  died  near  Hodgenville  in  1851. 
He  was  36  years  of  age  when  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born. 
He  was  a  man  of  property,  and  Thomas  Lincoln  was  in  his 
employ  when  he  first  moved  from  Elizabethtown.  Mr.  L.  B. 

69 


70    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Handley,  attorney  for  the  Lincoln  Farm  Association,  informs 
me  that  in  connection  with  his  work  for  that  association  he 
made  careful  investigation,  and  assured  himself  that  Thomas 
Lincoln  lived  on  the  Brownfield  farm  on  his  first  removal  from 
Elizabethtown,  and  was  living  there  in  the  summer  and  autumn 
of  1808.  He  does  not,  however,  credit  the  report  that  Brown- 
field  was  Abraham  Lincoln's  father. 

George  Brownfield  is  buried  in  the  old  South  Fork  burying- 
ground,  one  of  the  oldest  in  La  Rue  County.  It  is  located 
five  miles  south  of  Hodgenville,  two  and  one-half  miles  beyond 
the  Lincoln  Farm.  His  tombstone  bears  this  record : 

"  George  Brownfield,  Born  Oqtober  23,  1773, 
Died  May  2,  1851." 

The  spot  on  the  Brownfield  farm  where  the  Lincoln  cabin 
stood  is  known  as  the  "  plum-orchard."  It  was  a  natural 
growth  of  wild  crab-apple  trees.  I  caused  it  to  be  identified, 
and  photographed,  as  I  suppose  for  the  first  time.  It  takes 
its  place  in  the  rather  long  list  of  residences  of  Thomas  and 
Nancy  Lincoln,  and  thus  has  a  legitimate  claim  upon  the  in 
terest  of  any  lover  of  Lincoln.  But  for  the  purpose  of  this 
narrative,  it  is  of  very  much  greater  importance  than  any  other 
one  spot  with  which  we  have  to  do.  The  world  is  interested, 
and  properly  so,  in  the  place  where  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
born;  but  for  the  purposes  of  this  inquiry  the  place  of  primary 
importance  is  that  in  which  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  were 
living  nine  or  ten  months  previous  to  his  birth. 

The  house  that  stood  in  the  "  plum-orchard  "  is  no  longer 
standing,  and  the  odor  of  the  wild  crab-apple  blossoms  is 
only  a  memory,  but  is  fragrant  as  it  was  on  the  day  in  early 
summer  in  the  year  1808  when  Nancy  Lincoln  discovered  in 
herself  the  premonitions  of  maternity.  In  May  or  early  June 
of  1808  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  left  the  little  court-house 
town  of  Elizabethtown,  and  took  up  their  residence  in  a  pole 
cabin  in  the  "  plum-orchard  "  on  the  farm  of  George  Brown- 
field.  Late  in  the  autumn,  after  the  crop  was  gathered,  they 
removed  to  their  own  home,  where  in  the  following  February 


GEORGE  BROWNFIELD  71 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  born.  But  the  cabin  where  he  was 
born  was  not  that  in  which  his  unborn  life  began.  He  was 
conceived  either  in  Elizabethitown  or  in  the  cabin  among  the 
apple-blossoms.  We  shall  recur  to  this  subject,  and  to  the 
probable  time,  in  a  later  chapter. 


CHAPTER  X 

ABRAHAM  INLOW  OF  BOURBON  COUNTY, 
KENTUCKY 

WE  come  now  to  what  is  perhaps  the  most  widespread  of  all 
the  stories  concerning  the  alleged  illegitimate  birth  of  Lincoln. 
It  is,  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  the  son  of  a  poor  girl,  Nancy 
Hanks,  and  of  Abraham  Inlow,  a  miller,  who  lived  on  the 
border  between  Bourbon  and  Clark  Counties,  Kentucky.  The 
child  was  born,  and  was  old  enough  to  run  around,  so  this 
story  goes,  when  the  father,  Abraham  Inlow,  paid  five  hundred 
dollars,  and  a  wagon  and  team,  to  Thomas  Lincoln,  in  con 
sideration  of  which,  Thomas  Lincoln  drove  away  with  Nancy 
Hanks  and  the  child.  They  rode  away  in  the  wagon,  with  the 
child  sitting  between  them,  and  Thomas  and  Nancy  were 
married  in  some  county  to  the  west  of  Bourbon.  The  child 
was  already  named  Abraham  after  his  father,  and  he  took 
the  name  of  Lincoln  from  his  mother's  marriage  with  Thomas 
Lincoln. 

This  story  has  had  wide  currency  among  the  members  of 
the  Kentucky  bar,  and  is  or  was  related  in  the  neighborhood, 
of  Clark  and  Bourbon  Counties,  always  or  nearly  always  with 
the  information  that  the  child  Abe  sat  between  Tom  and  Nancy 
when  they  drove  away  from  Bourbon  County  to  their  future 
home. 

The  man  who  did  most  to  make  this  story  widely  known 
was  Hon.  Belvard  January  Peters,  of  Mount  Sterling,  Ken 
tucky,  a  classmate  of  Jefferson  Davis  at  Transylvania  Uni 
versity,  and  for  many  years  a  judge  and  some  time  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Appellate  Court  of  Kentucky.  He  was  a  prom 
inent  member  of  the  Disciples  Church,  and  a  man  of  probity, 
eminent  in  the  annals  of  the  Kentucky  bar  and  bench.  A 
sketch  of  his  life  is  found  in  a  book  entitled  The  Bench  and 
Bar  of  Kentucky,  where  his  honorable  record  may  be  found. 

72 


ABRAHAM  INLOW  OF  BOURBON      73 

His  statement  appears  in  the  form  of  an  affidavit,  in  part 
as  follows: 

"  I  was  graduated  from  Transylvania  University,  Ken 
tucky,  in  1825.  I  read  law  with  John  Boyle,  Chief  Justice  of 
Kentucky;  obtained  license  to  practice  law  in  1827.  My  legal 
and  professional  career  has  extended  over  a  period  of  over 
sixty  years.  In  all  that  time  I  have  never  heard,  among  my 
legal  friends  (and  I  have  known  nearly  all  the  lawyers,  old  and 
young,  in  the  State)  the  fact  of  Abraham  Lincoln's  illegitimacy 
disputed." 

This  story  has  been  told  and  retold  to  successive  genera 
tions  of  judges  and  lawyers  until  it  has  come  very  widely  to 
be  credited.  In  one  of  its  forms  it  declares  that  Jesse  Head, 
when  a  resident  of  Harrodsburg,  Kentucky,  told  an  eminent 
but  unnamed  lawyer  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  and  old 
enough  to  be  running  around  at  the  time  when  he  married 
Thomas  Lincoln  to  Nancy  Hanks. 

Judge  Peters  wrote  this  story  for  the  local  papers  in  his 
home  town,  and  toward  the  end  of  his  life  he  took  occasion 
to  make  oath  to  his  belief  in  the  truth  of  this  story. 

This  is  the  story  to  which  Herndon  refers,  in  his  statement 
that  Mr.  Weik  spent  much  time  in  its  investigation.  I  have 
talked  this  matter  over  fully  with  Mr.  Weik,  and  in  the  proper 
place  will  relate  what  he  has  told  to  me  concerning  it. 

I  have  made  diligent  effort,  also,  to  learn  whether  in  Mount 
Sterling,  where  Judge  Peters  lived,  or  in  Clark  or  Bourbon 
Counties,  there  is  any  additional  information  on  this  subject. 
All  essential  knowledge  of  this  matter  appears  to  be  compassed 
in  the  general  statement,  fully  and  concisely  embodied  in  the 
affidavit  of  Judge  Peters,  that  the  story  has  long  been  current 
and  widely  believed  as  it  has  here  been  stated.  No  docu 
mentary  proofs  are  submitted,  other  than  a  group  of  affidavits 
by  people  of  mature  years,  and  some  of  them  of  good 
standing,  to  the  effect  that  they  have  long  heard  this  story, 
and  that  it  is  believed  by  many  people  in  the  counties  named, 
and  in  other  parts  of  the  State  of  Kentucky.  The  high  reputa 
tion  of  Judge  Peters,  both  for  ability  and  veracity,  and  his 
complete  confidence  in  the  story,  are,  after  all,  the  chief  reasons 
to  be  alleged  in  favor  of  it. 


CHAPTER  XI 
ABRAHAM  ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA 

THE  story  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  the  son  of  Nancy  Hanks 
and  of  a  man  named  Abraham  Enloe  of  North  Carolina, 
circulated  for  some  years  in  Swain  County,  at  the  extreme 
western  end  of  North  Carolina,  and  became  more  widely  cur 
rent  as  Northern  tourists  to  Asheville  and  vicinity  penetrated 
in  increasing  numbers  into  that  general  region.  These  visitors 
were  informed  that  they  were  not  far  from  the  home  of  the 
parents  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  in  due  time  pilgrimages 
were  made  to  interview  the  alleged  relatives  of  the  President 
who  were  still  living  there.  President  Lincoln's  so-called  half- 
brother,  Wesley  Enloe,  became  a  man  of  some  note,  and  from 
time  to  time  was  interviewed  by  newspaper  reporters  and 
others.  He  and  his  family  were  photographed  and  measured, 
and  their  supposed  resemblances  to  Abraham  Lincoln  were 
duly  recorded.  If  at  first  the  family  shrank  from  this  pub 
licity,  the  reluctance  of  its  members  in  time  was  overcome; 
and  memory  at  first  yielding  nothing  to  the  point,  gradually 
grew  pliant  till  it  substantiated  in  all  important  particulars  the 
story  that  came  to  be  accepted  in  that  region,  by  certain  of 
the  inhabitants  and  visitors,  as  the  true  history  of  the  origin 
of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

In  the  early  nineties,  allusions  began  to  appear  in  print,  and 
on  September  17,  1893,  the  Charlotte  Observer,  printed,  what 
is,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  the  first  full  statement  of  the  North 
Carolina  story.  It  was  signed  "  Student  of  History,"  and 
the  author  was  alleged  to  have  been  "a  worthy  member  of 
an  illustrious  North  Carolina  family." 

The  essential  portions  of  this  article  follow : 

A  few  years  since,  probably  in  1889,  the  writer  of  this  com 
munication  was  informed  by  Dr.  A.  W.  Miller  that  he  heard 

74 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA         75 

in  Western  North  Carolina  that  there  was  a  tradition  in  Swain 
county  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  in  that  county.  That 
his  father's  name  was  Abram  Enloe,  and  the  name  of  his 
mother  was  Nancy  Hanks.  That  the  house  in  which  he  was 
born  was  at  that  time  occupied  by  Wesley  Enloe,  a  son  of 
Abram  Enloe,  and,  ergo,  the  half-brother  of  the  great 
president. 

In  1890,  being  in  Webster,  Jackson  County,  I  met  a  gentle 
man  who  was  county  surveyor  of  Jackson,  who  gave  me  the 
story  related  by  Dr.  Miller,  and  added  facts  in  the  tradition. 
The  story  as  related  to  the  doctor  was,  that  Nancy  Hanks 
and  Abram  were  carried  to  Kentucky  by  a  mule-drover  who 
was  in  the  habit  of  stopping  at  Abram  Enloe's,  at  the  foot 
of  the  Smoky  mountains,  about  1804.  The  surveyor's  in 
formation  was  that  Felix  Walker,  the  congressional  repre 
sentative — the  author  of  the  famous  expression  "  speaking 
for  Buncombe  " — in  order  to  do  his  constituent  "  Abram  "  a 
good  turn,  carried  Hagar  and  Ishmael  to  Hardin  county, 
Kentucky.  He  stated  also  that  two  citizens,  Davis  by  name, 
lodged  one  night  at  his  friend's  house  and  stated  that  they 
lived  in  Illinois,  and  had  emigrated  to  that  State  from  Ruther 
ford  county,  N.  C.  These  gentlemen  state  that  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  acquainted  with  them,  and  on  learning  they  were 
from  Rutherford  county,  told  them  his  mother  had  frequently 
told  him  she  had  lived  in  that  county.  These  gentlemen  in 
formed  their  host  (Dr.  Egerton  of  Hendersonville,  I  think) 
that  Abram  Lincoln  was  one  of  the  big  men  of  the  great  west, 
from  which  they  had  hailed.  This  incident  happened  about 
1858. 

The  following  week  the  writer  was  in  Bryson  City. 

Dr.  Miller  was  under  the  impression  that  Wesley  Enloe  was 
a  facsimile  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  or  certain  members  of  the 
Enloe  family  were  very  similar  in  features  to  him.  The  Jack 
son  surveyor  had  excited  my  curiosity,  and,  having  a  day  off, 
I  lost  no  time,  and  was  soon  on  my  route  up  the  Tuckaseegee, 
bound  for  the  Abram  Enloe  homestead,  just  fourteen  miles 
from  Bryson  City.  The  road  was  rocky,  and  my  driver  was 
of  the  silent  kind,  so  I  gave  my  attention  to  the  shaping  of 
my  interview  on  what  loomed  up  to  me  as  a  very  difficult 
subject  to  handle.  A  silence  of  five  miles  was  suddenly  inter 
rupted  by  the  driver's  inquiry  as  to  my  business  with  Mr. 


76    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Wesley  Enloe.  I  replied  promptly,  "  I  am  going  up  principally 
to  look  at  him/'  This  answer  left  me  to  my  own  reflections 
and  the  scenery  of  the  Ocona  Lufta,  a  branch  of  the  Tucka- 
seegee,  which  is  beautiful  beyond  description.  The  native 
Indian  sunned  himself  along  the  roadside,  or  paddled  his 
smooth  canoe  under  the  overhanging  Rhododendron.  Sud 
denly  the  driver,  overburdened  with  curiosity,  at  the  ninth 
milestone,  interrupted  me  with  the  question,  "  Would  I  mind 
telling  what  I  wanted  to  look  at  Wesley  Enloe  for?  "  "  Not 
at  all;  I  have  heard  he  resembles  Abram  Lincoln,  and  that 
he  is  his  half-brother."  The  driver  then  became  satisfied 
and  talkative.  He  stated  he  had  heard  the  story  frequently, 
and  was  a  relative  of  the  Enloe  family  himself. 

Passing  Yellow  Hill,  the  Indian  school  supported  by  the 
government,  a  down-grade  of  three  or  four  miles  brought  us 
to  a  beautiful,  rich  valley  farm,  the  present  home  of  Wesley, 
and  the  old  Abraham  Enloe  homestead.  The  house  was  not 
unlike  many  of  the  old  houses  in  North  Carolina — one  story, 
the  roof  sloping  down  over  the  piazza,  with  the  company- 
room  opening  on  the  porch.  Mr.  Enloe  and  his  wife  were 
seated  in  front,  a  picture  of  undisturbed  contentment  and 
rural  happiness.  The  driver  carried  his  team  to  the  barn,  and 
Mrs.  Enloe  retired  to  look  after  the  dinner. 

Mr.  Enloe  was  about  six  feet,  two  or  three  inches  tall,  and, 
to  my  great  disappointment,  bald-headed;  his  right  shoulder 
a  little  lower  than  his  left;  when  standing,  just  slightly  stooped 
forward.  Our  conversation  took  a  varied  turn — the  force  bill, 
the  Alliance,  crops,  walnut  rails,  etc.  I  inquired  finally  if  he 
had  a  picture  of  himself  before  he  lost  his  hair.  His  daughter 
Julia,  about  nineteen  years  old,  was  summoned  and  brought 
a  basketful  of  photographs.  My  attention  was  taken  at  once 
by  the  striking  resemblance  between  Julia  and  Abraham 
Lincoln.  The  picture  with  a  full  head  of  hair  failed  to  satisfy 
me  of  a  striking  face  resemblance  between  Wesley  Enloe  and 
Abraham  Lincoln.  The  photograph  was  taken  the  year  Lincoln 
was  killed,  in  Waynesville,  to  which  place  Mr.  Enloe  had 
carried  a  drove  of  beef-cattle  the  summer  of  1865. 

Mr.  Enloe  stated  that  he  had  never  heard  his  father's  name 
mentioned  in  his  family  in  connection  with  Abraham  Lincoln. 
He  said :  "  I  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  sixteen.  Such 
might  have  been  the  fact,  but  of  course  the  older  ones  would 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA         77 

not  be  apt  to  talk  to  me  on  a  subject  like  that  to  which  you 
allude.  About  1871,  say  ten  years  ago,  I  learned  and  heard 
the  story  read  from  an  Asheville  paper  for  the  first  time." 

The  subject  was  dropped  until  four,  when  I  started  for 
home.  I  remarked,  after  thanking  him  for  his  hospitality,  that 
I  was  perhaps  the  only  man  who  had  ever  called  just  to  look 
at  him.  The  old  man  was  without  his  coat,  with  wool  hat, 
narrow  brim.  He  replied  pleasantly :  "  Now  that  you  have 
seen  me,  what  do  you  think?"  My  reply  was  that  I  must 
confess  that  I  was  disappointed,  but  that  now  seeing  him  with 
his  hat  on,  with  his  hands  crossed  behind  him  (a  favorite 
posture  with  Mr.  Lincoln),  taking  in  the  whole  six  feet,  three 
or  four  inches,  there  was  a  resemblance  which  I  had  no  doubt 
was  greater  twenty-five  years  past.  The  resemblance  in  the 
case  of  Miss  Julia  is  striking. 

The  old  gentleman  then  related  the  following  incident: 
"  Two  months  past,  in  Dillsboro,  in  my  daughter's  parlor  (she 
married  in  that  town)  is  a  map  picture  of  President  Lincoln. 
She  said  to  me,  '  Look  at  that  picture.  Did  you  ever  see  a 
better  picture  of  my  brother  Frank?'  Frank  is  my  son  and 
I  have  alway  heard  he  was  much  like  my  brother  Scroup,  who 
was  said  to  be  very  like  his  father  Abraham  Enloe.  I  favor 
my  mother's  people.  In  size  I  am  like  the  Enloes." 

I  failed  to  find  Frank  Enloe  at  home.  At  Dillsboro,  having 
a  draft  to  cash,  I  was  informed  by  the  hotel-keeper  that 
William  Enloe  would  cash  it.  On  going  into  the  store  filled 
with  customers,  I  recognized  William  Enloe  by  his  resemblance 
to  Mr.  Lincoln. 

On  my  return  east,  arriving  at  Asheville  at  3  P.M.,  I  had 
dismissed  the  subject  from  my  mind,  but  resolved  to  see 
Colonel  Davidson,  the  father  of  our  late  attorney-general. 
I  found  him  at  home,  willing  to  talk.  And  now,  Mr.  Editor, 
here  is  Colonel  Davidson's  story  as  your  correspondent  re 
members  it: 

"  Abram  Enloe  lived  in  Rutherford  county.  He  had  in  his 
family  a  girl  named  Nancy  Hanks,  about  ten  or  twelve  years 
of  age.  He  moved  from  Rutherford  to  Buncombe  and  settled 
on  a  branch  of  the  Ocona,  in  what  was  afterwards  Hay  wood, 
and  what  is  now  Swain  county.  At  the  end  of  eight  years  he 
moved  to  the  house  at  the  foot  of  the  Smoky  mountain,  the 
place  above  described  as  the  present  home  of  Wesley  Enloe. 


78    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

"  Soon  after  Abram  moved,  his  own  daughter,  Nancy  En- 
loe,  against  his  wishes,  ran  away  and  married  a  Kentucky 
gentleman  named  Thompson,  from  Hardin  county  in  that 
State. 

"  In  the  meantime  during  the  absence  of  Mrs.  Nancy  Enloe 
Thompson  in  Kentucky,  at  the  home  of  Abram  Enloe  a  son 
was  born  to  Nancy  Hanks,  then  about  twenty  or  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  The  relations  between  Mrs.  Enloe  and  her  hus 
band  became,  as  a  matter  of  course,  unpleasant. 

"  There  is  a  lady  now  living,"  says  Colonel  Davidson, 
"  who,  as  a  girl,  was  visiting  Abram  Enloe.  This  lady  says 
that  Nancy  Enloe  Thompson,  having  become  reconciled  with 
her  parents,  had  returned  from  Kentucky  to  North  Carolina. 
They  were  to  start  to  Kentucky  again  in  a  few  days,  and  she 
remembered  hearing  a  neighbor  say,  '  I  am  glad  Nancy  Hanks 
and  her  boy  are  going  to  Kentucky  with  Mrs.  Thompson. 
Mrs.  Enloe  will  be  happy  again/ 

"  I  married  into  the  Enloe  family  myself.  I  settled  Abram 
Enloe's  estate,  and  have  frequently  heard  this  tradition  during 
my  life,  and  have  no  doubt  of  its  truth." 

He  added  the  following  story,  which  is  significant : 

"  I  am  a  lawyer.  I  was  seated  in  my  office,  since  the  war 
and  soon  after  its  close.  A  gentleman  called,  introduced 
himself  as  Thompson  and  stated  he  learned  that  I  was  the 
man  who  settled  Abram  Enloe's  estate;  that  he  was  a  son 
of  Nancy  Enloe  Thompson.  He  stated,  among  other  things, 
that  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  had  been  an  Indian  agent  during 
the  Lincoln  administration. 

"  I  asked,"  said  Col.  Davidson,  "  how  Lincoln,  who  was 
a  Republican,  appointed  him,  a  Democrat,  an  Indian  agent?" 

Thompson  replied  that  Lincoln  was  under  some  great  ob 
ligation  to  his  (Thompson's)  mother,  and  expressed  a  desire 
to  aid  her,  if  possible,  in  some  substantial  way.  She  finally 
consented  that  he  might  do  something  for  her  son,  and  this 
is  the  way  I  got  my  appointment. 

I  have  written  this  at  your  request,  Mr.  Editor,  hoping  that 
you  will  open  your  columns  to  Col.  Davidson  and  others,  so 
that  we  may  follow  the  clues  these  people  may  furnish,  and 
thus  see  if  there  is  any  truth  in  this  interesting  North  Carolina 
tradition. 

STUDENT  OF  HISTORY. 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA         79 

In  1899,  Hon.  James  H.  Cathey,  State  Senator  from  a  dis 
trict  in  Western  North  Carolina,  published  a  volume  of  185 
pages  entitled  Truth  Is  Stranger  than  Fiction,  in  which  he 
told  this  story  at  length.  The  edition  was  soon  sold  out,  and 
he  issued  a  new  and  enlarged  edition  under  the  title,  The 
Genesis  of  Lincoln. 

This  is  the  fullest  statement  in  print  of  the  argument  against 
the  legitimacy  of  Lincoln,  and  it  brings  to  its  support  the 
largest  body  of  recorded  testimony.  Mr.  Cathey  sincerely  be 
lieved  what  he  wrote,  and  he  signed  his  own  name  and  gave 
the  names  of  the  people  who  furnished  him  the  information. 
The  substance  of  his  argument  is  thus  set  forth  in  the  opening 
pages  of  his  book: 

It  is  the  historical  teaching  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  vir 
tually  "  without  ancestors,  fellows,  or  successors/'  Whether 
{his  is  a  delusion  it  does  not  concern  us  to  argue.  He  came 
into  the  world,  and  the  world  understood  him  not. 

It  is,  therefore,  the  sole  purpose  of  this  little  book  to  present 
a  .tradition  tending  to  prove  that  this  wonderful  man  was  not 
without  ancestors.  His  mother  was  Nancy  Hanks.  If  he  was 
the  son  of  a  worthy  sire  the  world  is  entitled  to  know  who 
that  sire  was ;  when,  where  and  how  he  lived ;  whence  he  came 
and  what  his  characteristics. 

For  ninety  years,  or  thereabout,  from  the  time  it  is  said 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  begotten  or  born,  as  the  case  was,  and 
the  breeze  occurred  in  the  Enloe  home,  there  has  subsisted 
among  the  honest  people  at  the  center  of  authority  a  lively 
tradition  that  Abraham,  the  head  of  the  Enloe  family,  was 
Lincoln's  father  by  Nancy  Hanks,  who  occupied  the  position 
of  servant-girl  in  the  Enloe  household. 

So  confident  and  persistent  have  the  keepers  of  this  old 
testimony  to  the  origin  of  Abraham  Lincoln  been,  when  plied 
with  interrogatories,  that  they  knew  what  they  were  talking 
about,  that  there  was  no  opening  for  superstition,  and  the 
most  one  who  was  inclined  to  be  skeptical  could  do  was  to 
wonder  and  say  nothing. 

One  might  hug  his  incredulity  by  imagining  that  the  people 
who  fathered  the  strange  accounts  of  Nancy  Hanks  and 
Abraham  Enloe  and  a  child,  and  the  wonderful  story  of  the 


80    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

striking  personal  likeness  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Wesley 
Enloe,  are  illiterate,  fanatical  folk  who  have  conjured  up  a 
fragmentary  fable,  how  and  for  what  they  know  not ;  but  this 
incredulity  is  all  cleared  away,  like  fog  before  the  sunbeams, 
when  one  learns  that  the  custodians  of  the  "  Lincoln  tradition  " 
are  numbered  by  the  scores  and  hundreds  of  the  first  people — 
men  and  women — of  Western  North  Carolina. 

Ladies  as  well  as  gentlemen,  not  only  of  the  immediate 
section,  but  also  of  distant  States,  visiting  at  Asheville  and 
other  places  of  resort  in  our  mountains,  rinding  a  thread  of 
the  tradition,  they  pulled  until  their  curiosity,  at  least,  be 
coming  excited,  they  visited  Wesley  Enloe,  the  alleged  half- 
brother  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  his  hospitable  mountain  home, 
were  filled  with  amazement,  and  went  away  convinced  that 
the  tradition  was  wrought  in  cords  that  could  not  easily  be 
broken. 

People  who  were  familiar  with  Mr.  Lincoln's  history,  or 
who  knew  him  personally,  were  struck  with  the  strange  physical 
resemblance  on  first  sight,  and  then  watched  a  series  of  im 
personations  of  Lincoln,  as  they  studied  the  features  and  noted 
the  varying  postures  of  the  person  of  Wesley  Enloe. 

The  remarkable  tradition,  with  its  flesh  and  blood  corrobora- 
tion,  was  from  time  to  time  engaged  to  be  written  up  by 
journalists,  lawyers  and  clergymen  of  culture  and  standing, 
but  nothing  more  than  a  hasty,  desultory  newspaper  article 
was  the  result.  The  people  over  a  very  limited  area  of 
population  were  being  made  conversant  with  the  valuable  tra 
dition,  and  its  worthy  repositors  were,  one  by  one,  stepping 
from  the  earthly  stage.  It  was  plainly  apparent  that  in  a 
very  few  years  the  old  generation  would  be  gone,  and  a 
truth  of  American  history,  by  sheer  neglect,  would  be  forever 
lost. 

We  felt  our  incapacity  to  undertake  so  responsible  a  task. 
,We  were  conscious  of  the  delicacy  of  the  undertaking,  but  the 
implicit,  unquestioned  faith  which  we  had  in  the  truthfulness 
of  the  tradition  gave  us  a  courage  which  shrank  not  from 
the  most  formidable-looking  anti-traditional  hobgoblin. 

Thus  emboldened  we  set  to  work  to  gather  the  odds  and 
ends  of  our  folk-history.  We  resolved  at  the  outset  that  we 
would  interrogate  none  but  the  most  trustworthy — people  who 
were  in  the  best  position  to  give  a  reason  for  the  faith  that 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA         81 

was  in  them,  together  with  the  story  of  the  relatives  of  the 
distinguished  subject  of  our  memoir.  This  we  have,  in  every 
instance,  done.  In  1895  the  writer  conceived  the  idea  of 
writing  a  newspaper  or  magazine  article  for  the  simple  purpose 
of  making  known  the  tradition  to  the  public  generally,  hoping 
thereby  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  enterprising  journalist, 
and  after  that  the  enduring  chronicler;  but  private  concerns 
interfered,  and  our  purpose  was  frustrated  for  the  time. 
Luckily,  however,  we  then  obtained  the  statements  of  some 
very  aged  gentlemen  whose  testimony  will  herein  appear,  and 
which  is  of  the  most  important  character,  who  have  since 
died. 

With  this  statement  of  his  reasons,  which  the  author  of 
this  volume  is  confident  are  truthfully  stated,  Mr.  Cathey  pro 
ceeded  to  set  forth  in  detail  the  tradition  which  he  had  heard  in 
the  State  of  his  nativity,  the  publication  of  his  two  books, 
or  two  editions  of  the  same  book  with  changed  title  and  added 
matter  in  the  second  issue,  stimulated  greatly  the  interest  of 
biographers  of  Lincoln  and  tourists  to  the  region  about 
Asheville.  He  said: 

The  following  tradition  is  more  than  ninety  years  old. 
Its  center  of  authority  is  Swain  and  neighboring  counties  of 
Western  North  Carolina: 

Some  time  in  the  early  years  of  the  century,  variously  given 
1803,  1805,  1806,  and  1808,  there  was  living  in  the  family  of 
Abraham  Enloe  of  Ocona  Lufta,  N.  C.,  a  young  woman 
whose  name  was  Nancy  Hanks.  This  young  woman  remained 
in  the  household,  faring  as  one  of  the  family  until,  it  becoming 
apparent  that  she  was  in  a  state  of  increase,  and  there  ap 
pearing  signs  of  the  approach  of  domestic  infelicity,  she  was 
quietly  removed,  at  the  instance  of  Abraham  Enloe,  to 
Kentucky. 

This  is  the  most  commonly  accepted  version  of  the  event. 

Another  pretty  current  construction  of  the  story  is  that 
when  Abraham  Enloe  emigrated  from  Rutherford  county, 
there  came  with  his  family  a  servant-girl  whose  name  was 
Nancy  Hanks,  and  who,  after  a  time,  gave  birth  to  a  boy  child 
which  so  much  resembled  the  legitimate  heirs  of  Abraham 


82    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Enloe,  that  their  mother  warmly  objected  to  the  presence  of 
so  unpleasant  a  reminder,  and  the  embarrassed  husband  had 
the  young  child  and  its  mother  spirited  to  Kentucky.  These 
are  the  two  universally  accepted  versions  of  the  one  thoroughly 
accredited  fact. 

The  tradition  subsists  on  four  salient  and  perfectly  con 
versant  points: 

First. — That  in  the  early  years  of  the  century  a  young 
woman  took  up  her  abode  at  Abraham  Enloe's,  in  the  ca 
pacity  of  hired  girl,  whose  name  was  Nancy  Hanks. 

Second. — That  this  same  girl,  Nancy  Hanks,  while  living 
at  Abraham  Enloe's,  become  enceinte;  or  entangled  in  an  em 
barrassment  in  which  her  illegitimate  child  was  the  uncon 
scious  instigator. 

Third. — That  the  wife  of  Abraham  Enloe,  believing  that 
her  husband  was  the  father  of  Nancy  Hanks'  child,  and  being 
unwilling  to  countenance  what  she  conceived  to  be  a  reproach 
upon  herself  and  children,  demanded  the  disconnection  of 
Nancy  Hanks  from  her  household. 

Fourth. — That  Abraham  Enloe  heeded  the  demand  of  his 
wife  and  forthwith  effected  the  transportation  of  Nancy  Hanks 
and  her  offspring  to  the  State  of  Kentucky. 

In  support  of  this  theory,  Mr.  Cathey  gave  a  considerable 
number  of  statements  made  to  him  by  old  inhabitants  of  the 
county  where  Abraham  Enloe  lived,  including  Wesley  Enloe,  a 
son,  and  William  A.  Enloe,  a  grandson,  of  Abraham  Enloe. 
In  order  to  set  before  the  reader  the  whole  body  of  tradition 
as  it  was  gathered  by  Mr.  Cathey,  the  following,  which  are 
his  strongest  testimonials,  are  given  entire,  together  with  his 
own  introductory  notes  concerning  the  character  of  his  wit 
nesses  : 

PHILIP  DILLS 

Mr.  Dills  was  born  in  Rutherford  county,  N.  C,  January 
10,  1808.  His  father  emigrated  to  the  mountains  of  Western 
North  Carolina  almost  contemporaneously  with  Abraham 
Enloe.  Although  Mr.  Dills  was  four  years  old  when  Jackson 
whipped  Pakenham  at  New  Orleans,  he  is  nimble  both  in  body 
and  mind.  He  describes  the  removal  of  the  Cherokees  west 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA    83 

of  the  Mississippi ;  tells  of  the  elections  when  Clay  and  Jackson 
were  rivals — of  casting  his  first  vote  for  the  latter;  recalls  the 
personal  appearance  of  John  C.  Calhoun,  whom  he  saw  and 
with  whom  he  talked;  the  duel  between  Sam  Carson  and  Dr. 
Vance,  and  many  other  incidents  of  early  days  he  distinctly 
remembers  and  recites  with  genuine  gusto. 

Mr.  Dills  is  a  citizen  of  Jackson  county.  His  post-office  is 
Dillsboro.  He  said : 

"  Although  a  generation  younger  and  living  some  twenty- 
five  miles  from  him,  I  knew  Abraham  Enloe  personally  and 
intimately.  I  lived  on  the  road  which  he  frequently  traveled 
in  his  trips  south,  and  he  made  my  house  a  stopping-place. 
He  was  a  large  man,  tall,  with  dark  complexion,  and  coarse, 
black  hair.  He  was  a  splendid  looking  man,  and  a  man  of 
fine  sense.  His  judgment  was  taken  as  a  guide,  and  he  was 
respected  and  looked  up  to  in  his  time. 

"  I  do  not  know  when  I  first  heard  of  his  relation  with 
Nancy  Hanks,  but  it  was  many  years  before  the  civil  war,  and 
while  I  was  a  very  young  man.  The  circumstance  was  related 
in  my  hearing  by  the  generation  older  than  myself,  and  I 
heard  it  talked  over  time  and  again  later.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  Abraham  Enloe  was  the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln." 


WALKER  BATTLE 

Mr.  Battle  was  born  February  12,  1809,  in  Hay  wood 
county.  His  father  was  one  of  the  three  men  who  came  to 
Ocona  Lufta  with  Abraham  Enloe.  He  was  a  highly  re 
spected  citizen  of  Swain  county.  The  following  statement 
was  received  from  him  in  1895.  He  has  since  died.  His 
son,  Milton  Battle,  a  reputable  citizen,  is  familiar  with  his 
father's  statement.  His  post-office  is  Bryson  City,  N.  C. 
Walker  Battle  said : 

"  My  father  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  this  country. 
He  came  here  with  Abraham  Enloe.  I  have  lived  here  my 
entire  life,  and  I  knew  Abraham  Enloe  and  his  family  almost 
as  well  as  I  knew  my  own. 

"  The  incident  occurred,  of  course,  before  my  day,  but 
I  distinctly  remember  hearing  my  own  family  tell  of  the  trouble 
between  Abraham  Enloe  and  Nancy  Hanks  when  I  was  a  boy. 
I  recall,  as  if  it  were  but  yesterday,  hearing  them  speak  of 


84    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Nancy's  removal  to  Kentucky  and  that  she  married  there  a 
fellow  by  the  name  of  Lincoln;  that  Abraham  Enloe  had  some 
kind  of  correspondence  with  the  woman  after  he  sent  her  to 
Kentucky — sent  her  something — and  that  he  had  to  be  very 
cautious  to  keep  his  wife  from  finding  it  out. 

"  There  is  no  doubt  as  to  Nancy  Hanks  having  once  lived 
in  the  family  of  Abe  Enloe,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  she 
was  the  mother  of  a  child  by  him. 

"  No,  I  never  saw  Nancy  Hanks'  name  in  print  in  my  life, 
and  never  saw  a  sketch  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  or  heard  of 
him,  until  he  became  a  candidate  for  the  presidency  in  1860." 


WILLIAM   H.   CONLEY 

Mr.  Conley  was  born  about  the  year  1812,  in  Haywood 
county.  He  lived  the  greater  part  of  his  life  within  fifteen 
miles  of  Abraham  Enloe's.  He  was  a  man  of  intelligence  and 
perfect  veracity.  The  following  statement,  the  original  of 
which  is  in  the  writer's  possession,  was  obtained  from  him  in 
1895.  He  has  since  died. 

Mr.  Conley  said: 

"  My  father,  James  Conley,  was  the  first  white  man  to 
settle  on  the  creek  in  this  (Swain)  county,  which  bears  his 
name.  Abraham  Enloe  was  one  of  the  first  to  settle  on 
Ocona  Lufta.  Enloe  and  my  father  were  warm  friends.  I 
knew  Abe  Enloe  myself  well.  He  was  an  impressive  looking 
man.  On  first  sight  you  were  compelled  to  think  that  there 
was  something  extraordinary  in  him,  and  when  you  became 
acquainted  with  him  your  first  impression  was  confirmed.  He 
was  far  above  the  average  man  in  mind. 

"  As  to  the  tradition :  I  remember  when  I  was  a  lad,  on 
one  occasion  some  of  the  women  of  the  settlement  were  at 
my  father's  house,  and  in  conversation  with  my  mother  they 
had  a  great  deal  to  say  about  some  trouble  that  had  once  oc 
curred  between  Abe  Enloe  and  a  girl  they  called  Nancy  Hanks, 
who  had  at  some  time  staid  at  Enloe's.  I  heard  nothing  more, 
as  I  now  remember,  about  the  matter,  until  the  year  before 
the  war,  the  news  came  that  Abraham  Lincoln  had  been 
nominated  for  the  presidency,  when  it  was  the  common  under 
standing  among  the  older  people  that  Lincoln  was  the  son 
of  Abe  Enloe  by  Nancy  Hanks. 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA         85 

"  Not  one  of  them  had  ever  seen,  up  to  that  time,  a  written 
account  of  Lincoln.  There  is  no  doubt  that  Nancy  Hanks 
lived  at  Abraham  Enloe's.  She  became  pregnant  while  there 
by  Abraham  Enloe,  and  to  quell  a  family  disturbance  Enloe 
had  her  moved  to  Kentucky,  just  as  my  Jfather  and  mother, 
and  others,  have  time  and  again  related  in  my  hearing. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  that  Abe  Enloe  was  the  father  of 
Abraham  Lincoln." 

CAPTAIN   EP.   EVERETT 

Captain  Everett  was  born  April  4,  1830,  in  Davy  Crockett's 
native  county,  Tennessee.  He  came  to  what  was  then  Jackson, 
now  Swain  county,  in  the  late  fifties,  and  has  since  lived  in 
twelve  miles  of  the  Abe  Enloe  homestead.  He  was  captain 
of  Company  E,  Third  Tennessee.  He  served  through  the 
entire  war,  showing  conspicuous  courage  at  First  Manassas. 
He  helped  to  organize  the  county  of  Swain,  in  1871.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1875,  that 
amended  the  Constitution  of  the  State.  He  has  been  magis 
trate,  mayor  of  the  town  of  Bryson  City,  and  sheriff  of  the 
county.  He  is  well  known  throughout  the  State  as  one  of 
her  best  and  brainiest  citizens.  He  said : 

"  In  time  of  the  war,  in  conversation  with  various  old 
and  reliable  citizens  of  this  section,  I  learned  that  Abe 
Lincoln's  mother,  Nancy  Hanks,  once  lived  in  the  family  of 
Abe  Enloe  and  was  sent  from  there  to  Kentucky,  to  be  de 
livered  of  a  child.  The  cause  of  her  removal  to  Kentucky  was 
a  threatened  row  between  Abe  Enloe  and  old  Mrs.  Enloe,  his 
wife.  The  people  in  this  county — all  the  old  people  with  whom 
I  talked — were  familiar  with  the  girl  as  Nancy  Hanks.  This 
subject  was  not  only  the  common  country  rumor,  but  I  saw  it 
similarly  rehearsed  in  the  local  newspapers  of  the  time.  I 
have  no  doubt  of  its  truth. " 

CAPTAIN  JAMES  W.   TERRELL 

Captain  Terrell  was  born  in  Rutherford  county,  S.  C,  the 
last  day  of  the  year  1829.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  came  to 
Haywood,  where  he  lived  with  his  grandfather,  Wm.  D. 
Kirkpatrick,  until  1852,  when  he  joined  himself  in  business 
with  Col.  Wm.  H.  Thomas,  a  man  of  great  shrewdness  and 
enterprise.  In  1854  he  was  made  disbursing  agent  to  the 
North  Carolina  Cherokees.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  Con- 


86    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

federate  service  as  lieutenant  in  a  company  of  Cherokee 
Indians.  Later  he  was  promoted.  Since  the  war  he  has 
merchandised  and  been  a  railroad  contractor.  He  has  repre 
sented  his  county  in  the  legislature  and  filled  other  offices  of 
trust  and  honor.  He  is  recognized  throughout  Western  North 
Carolina  as  a  most  excellent  and  useful  citizen.  He  said : 

"  Having  personally  had  some  hints  from  the  Enloes,  of 
Jackson  and  Swain,  with  whom  I  am  intimately  acquainted, 
my  attention  was  seriously  drawn  to  the  subject  by  an  article 
which  appeared  in  Bledsoe's  Review,  in  which  the  writer  gives 
an  account  of  a  difficulty  between  Mr.  Lincoln's  reputed  father 
and  a  man  named  Enloe. 

"  I  then  began  to  inquire  into  the  matter  and  had  no  dif 
ficulty  in  arriving  at  the  following  indisputable  facts,  for 
which  I  am  indebted  to  the  following  old  people :  The  late 
Dr.  John  Mingus,  son-in-law  to  Abraham  Enloe;  his  widow 
Mrs.  Polly  Mingus,  daughter  of  Abraham  Enloe  (lately  de 
ceased),  and  their  son  Abram  Mingus,  who  still  lives;  also  to 
the  late  William  Farley  and  the  late  Hon.  William  H.  Thomas, 
besides  many  other  very  old  people,  all  of  whom,  I  believe, 
are  now  dead. 

"  ist.  Some  time  about  the  beginning  of  the  present  cen 
tury,  a  young  orphan  girl  was  employed  in  the  family  of  Abram 
Enloe,  then  of  Rutherford  county,  N.  C.  Her  position  in 
the  family  was  nearly  that  of  member,  she  being  an  orphan 
with  no  relatives  that  she  knew.  Her  name  was  undoubtedly 
Nancy  Hanks.  Abram  Enloe  moved  about  the  year  1805  from 
Rutherford,  stopping  first  for  a  short  while  on  Soco  Creek, 
but  eventually  settled  on  the  Ocona  Lufta,  where  his  son, 
Wesley  M.  Enloe,  now  resides,  then  Buncombe,  after  Hay- 
wood,  later  Jackson  and  now  Swain  county. 

"  2d.  Some  time  after  settling  on  the  Ocona  Lufta  Miss 
Hanks  became  enceinte,  and  a  family  breeze  resulted  and 
Nancy  Hanks  was  sent  to  Kentucky. 

"  3rd.  She  was  accompanied  to  Kentucky  by  or  through 
the  instrumentality  of  Hon.  Felix  Walker,  then  a  member  of 
Congress  from  the  '  Buncombe  district/ 

"  There  is  no  doubt  of  the  truth  of  these  statements.  They 
were  all  of  them  well  known  to  a  generation  just  passed  away, 
and  with  many  of  whom  I  was  well  and  intimately  acquainted. 
The  following  I  give  as  it  came  to  me : 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA    87 

"  A  probable  reason  for  sending  the  girl  Nancy  Hanks  to 
Kentucky  was  that  at  that  time  some  of  the  Enloe  kindred 
were  living  there.  I  was  informed  that  a  report  reached  here 
that  she  was  married  soon  after  reaching  Kentucky. 

"  Mrs.  Abram  Enloe's  maiden  name  was  Egerton,  and  she 
was  a  native  of  Rutherford  county  some  years  ago,  meeting 
with  Dr.  Egerton,  of  Hendersonville,  and  finding  that  he  was 
a  relative  of  Mrs.  Enloe,  our  conversation  drifted  toward  the 
Enloe  family,  and  he  imparted  to  me  the  following : 

"  Some  time  in  the  early  fifties  two  young  men  of  Ruther 
ford  county  moved  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  or  near  Spring 
field.  One  of  them,  whose  name  was  Davis,  became  intimately 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Lincoln.  In  the  fall  of  1860,  just  before 
the  presidential  election,  Mr.  Davis  and  his  friend  paid  a  visit 
back  to  Rutherford  and  spent  a  night  with  Dr.  Egerton.  Of 
course  the  presidential  candidates  would  be  discussed.  Mr. 
Davis  told  Dr.  Egerton  that  in  a  private  and  confidential  talk 
which  he  had  with  Mr.  Lincoln  the  latter  told  him  that  he 
was  of  Southern  extraction,  that  his  right  name  was,  or  ought 
to  have  been,  Enloe,  but  that  he  had  always  gone  by  the  name 
of  his  stepfather. 

"  Mr.  Enloe's  Christian  name  was  Abram,  and  if  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  his  son  he  was  not  unlikely  named  for  him. 

"  About  the  time  of  the  famous  contest  between  Lincoln 
and  Stephan  A.  Douglass,  Hon.  Wm.  H.  Seward  franked  to 
me  a  speech  of  Mr.  Lincoln's,  made  in  that  campaign,  entitled : 
'  Speech  of  Hon.  Abram  Lincoln/  He  himself  invariably 
signed  his  name  *  A.  Lincoln/ 

"  To  my  mind,  taking  into  consideration  the  unquestioned 
fact  that  Nancy  Hanks  was  an  inmate  of  Abram  Enloe's 
family,  that  while  there  she  became  pregnant,  that  she  went 
to  Kentucky  and  there  married  an  obscure  man  named  Lincoln, 
the  story  is  highly  probable  indeed,  and  when  fortified  with 
the  wonderful  likeness  between  Wesley  H._Enloe,  legitimate 
son  of  Abram  Enloe,  and  Mr.  Lincoln,  I  cannot  resist  the 
conviction  that  they  are  sons  of  the  same  sire.  A  photo  of 
either  might  be  passed  on  the  family  of  the  other  as  their 
genuine  head." 

HON.   WM.   A.   DILLS 

Mr.  Dills  is  a  native  of  Jackson  county,  N.  C,  and  resides 
in  the  thriving  little  town  which  was  named  in  his  honor — 


88    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Dillsboro.  He  is  an  intelligent,  progressive  citizen.  His  people 
have  honored  him  with  place  and  power.  He  has  represented 
his  county  in  the  lower  house  of  the  legislature.  He  said : 

"  My  information  with  regard  to  the  subject,  so  far  as  this 
country  is  concerned,  is  traditional,  as  the  events  named  oc 
curred  long  before  I  was  born. 

"  Several  years  ago,  while  I  was  teaching  school  in  the 
State  of  Missouri,  I  read  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  which  ran  as  follows :  '  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born 
in  the  State  of  Kentucky,  of  a  woman  whose  name  was  Nancy 
Savage  or  Nancy  Hanks.  His  father  is  supposed  to  have 
been  a  man  by  the  name  of  Enloe.  When  the  boy  was  eight 
years  old  his  mother  married  an  old  man  by  the  name  of 
Lincoln,  whose  profession  was  rail-splitting.  Soon  after  the 
marriage  he  took  a  large  contract  of  splitting  rails  in  the  State 
of  Illinois,  where  he  took  the  boy  and  his  mother,  and  the  boy 
assumed  the  name  of  Lincoln/  The  above  is  a  verbatim 
quotation  of  the  sketch  that  far. 

"  On  my  return  from  Missouri  I  took  occasion  to  investi 
gate  the  old  tradition  to  my  own  satisfaction.  I  found  that 
Nancy  Hanks  once  lived  with  Abraham  Enloe,  in  the  county  of 
Buncombe  (now  Swain),  and  while  there  became  involved  with 
Enloe;  a  child  was  imminent,  if  it  had  not  been  born,  and 
Nancy  Hanks  was  conveyed  to  Kentucky. 

*  The  public  may  read  in  Wesley  M.  Enloe,  son  of  Abraham 
Enloe,  a  walking  epistle  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  If  there  is 
any  reliance  to  be  placed  in  tradition  of  the  strongest  class  they 
are  half-brothers.  I  have  not  the  shadow  of  a  doubt  the 
tradition  is  true. 

"For  further  information,  I  refer  you  to  Col.  Allen  T. 
Davidson,  of  Asheville." 


JOSEPH  A.  COLLINS 

Mr.  Collins  is  fifty-six  years  of  age  and  resides  in  the  town 
of  Clyde,  in  Haywood  county.  He  served  three  years  of  the 
war  between  the  States  as  a  private,  after  which  he  was  pro 
moted  to  the  second  lieutenancy  of  his  company,  in  which 
capacity  he  continued  until  the  surrender.  He  has  been  in  the 
mercantile  business  for  twenty-five  years,  ten  years  of  which 
he  was  a  traveling  salesman.  He  is  now  proprietor  of  a  hard- 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA         89 

ware  store  in  his  home  town.  He  is  well  known  over  the 
entire  western  part  of  the  State  as  a  gentleman  of  the  most 
unquestionable  integrity.  He  said : 

1  The  first  I  knew  of  any  tradition  being  connected  with 
Abraham  Lincoln's  origin  on  his  father's  side  was  in  1867. 
At  that  time  I  was  in  Texas,  and  while  there  I  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Judge  Gilmore,  an  old  gentleman  who  lived 
three  miles  from  Fort  Worth. 

"  He  told  me  he  knew  Nancy  Hanks  before  she  was  mar 
ried,  and  that  she  then  had  a  child  she  called  Abraham.  *  While 
the  child  was  yet  small/  said  Judge  Gilmore,  *  she  married  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Lincoln,  a  whisky  distiller.  '  Lincoln,' 
he  said,  '  was  a  very  poor  man,  and  they  lived  in  a  small  log 
house.' 

" '  After  Nancy  Hanks  was  married  to  the  man  Lincoln,' 
said  Gilmore,  '  the  boy  was  known  by  the  name  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  He  said  that  Abraham's  mother,  when  the  boy  was 
about  eight  years  old,  died.' 

"  Judge  Gilmore  said  he  himself  was  five  or  six  years  older 
than  Abraham  Lincoln;  that  he  knew  him  well;  attended  the 
same  school  with  him.  He  said  Lincoln  was  a  bright  boy 
and  learned  very  rapidly;  was  the  best  boy  to  work  he  had 
ever  known. 

"  He  said  he  knew  Lincoln  until  he  was  almost  grown, 
when  he,  Gilmore,  moved  to  Texas.  During  his  residence  in 
Texas  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  county  court.  He  was  an 
intelligent,  responsible  man. 

'  Years  ago  I  was  traveling  for  a  house  in  Knoxville.  On 
Turkey  creek,  in  Buncombe  county,  N.  C.,  I  met  an  old  gentle 
man  whose  name  was  Phillis  Wells.  He  told  me  that  he 
knew  Abraham  Lincoln  was  the  son  of  Abraham  Enloe,  who 
lived  on  Ocona  Lufta. 

"  Wells  said  he  was  then  ninety  years  of  age.  When  he 
was  a  young  man  he  traveled  over  the  country  and  sold  tinware 
and  bought  furs,  feathers,  and  ginseng  for  William  Johnston, 
of  Waynes ville.  He  said  he  often  stopped  with  Abraham 
Enloe.  On  one  occasion  he  called  to  stay  over  night,  as  was 
his  custom,  when  Abraham  Enloe  came  out  and  went  with 
him  to  the  barn  to  put  up  his  horse,  and  while  there  Enloe  said : 

"  '  My  wife  is  mad ;  about  to  tear  up  the  place;  she  has  not 
spoken  to  me  in  two  weeks,  and  I  wanted  to  tell  you  about 


90    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

it  before  you  went  in  the  house.'  Then,  remarked  Wells: 
'  I  said  what  is  the  matter  ? '  and  Abraham  Enloe  replied :  '  The 
trouble  is  about  Nancy  Hanks,  a  hired  girl  we  have  living 
with  us/  Wells  said  he  staid  all  night,  and  that  Mrs.  Enloe 
did  not  speak  to  her  husband  while  he  was  there.  He  said 
he  saw  Nancy  Hanks  there ;  that  she  was  a  good-looking  girl, 
and  seemed  to  be  smart  for  business. 

"  Wells  said  before  he  got  back  there  on  his  next  trip  that 
Abraham  Enloe  had  sent  Nancy  Hanks  to  Jonathan's  creek 
and  hired  a  family  there  to  take  care  of  her;  that  later  a  child 
was  born  to  Nancy  Hanks,  and  she  named  him  Abraham. 

"  Meantime  the  trouble  in  Abraham  Enloe's  family  had  not 
abated.  As  soon  as  Nancy  Hanks  was  able  to  travel,  Abraham 
Enloe  hired  a  man  to  take  her  and  her  child  out  of  the  country, 
in  order  to  restore  quiet  and  peace  at  home.  He  said  he 
sent  her  to  some  of  his  relatives  near  the  State  line  between 
Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  He  said  Nancy  and  the  child  were 
cared  for  by  Enloe's  relatives  until  she  married  a  fellow  by  the 
name  of  Lincoln. 

"  I  asked  the  old  gentleman  if  he  really  believed  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  the  son  of  Abraham  Enloe,  and  he  replied: 
'  I  know  it,  and  if  I  did  not  know  it  I  would  not  tell  it/ 

"  I  made  special  inquiry  about  the  character  of  Wells,  and 
every  one  said  that  he  was  an  honest  and  truthful  man  and  a 
good  citizen/' 

H.  J.  BECK 

Mr.  Beck  was  born  and  reared  and  has  all  his  life  lived  on 
Ocona  Lufta.  He  was  one  of  Abraham  Enloe's  neighbors,  as 
was  his  father  before  him.  He  is  now  an  octogenarian.  He 
is  well-to-do,  intelligent  and  of  upright  character.  He  said: 

"  I  have  heard  my  father  and  mother  often  speak  of  the 
episode  of  Abraham  Enloe  and  Nancy  Hanks.  They  said 
Abraham  Enloe  moved  from  Rutherford  county  here,  bring 
ing  with  his  family  a  hired  girl  named  Nancy  Hanks.  Some 
time  after  they  settled  here  Nancy  Hanks  was  found  to 
be  with  child,  and  Enloe  procured  Hon.  Felix  Walker  to  take 
her  away.  Walker  was  gone  two  or  three  weeks.  If  they 
told  where  he  took  her  I  do  not  now  think  of  the  place. 

"  As  to  Abraham  Enloe,  he  was  a  very  large  man,  weighing 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA         91 

between  two  and  three  hundred.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace. 
The  first  I  remember  of  him,  I  was  before  him  in  trials. 
In  these  cases,  of  difference  between  neighbors,  he  was  always 
for  peace  and  compromise.  If  an  amicable  adjustment  could 
not  be  effected  he  was  firm  and  unyielding.  He  was  an  ex 
cellent  business  man." 


CAPT.  WM.  A.  ENLOE 

Captain  Enloe  was  born  in  Hay  wood  (now  Jackson)  county, 
and  is  sixty-six  years  of  age.  He  is  a  successful  merchant  and 
business  man.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  superior  sense,  modesty, 
firmness  and  integrity.  He  was  Captain  of  Company  F,  2Qth 
N.  C.  Regiment,  commanded  by  Robt.  B.  Vance,  and  served 
through  the  war.  He  has  represented  his  county  in  the 
General  Assembly.  He  is  a  grandson  of  Abraham  Enloe. 
He  said: 

"  There  is  a  tradition  come  down  through  the  family  that 
Nancy  Hanks,  the  mother  of  President  Lincoln,  once  lived  at 
my  grandfather's,  and  while  there  became  the  mother  of  a 
child  said  to  be  my  grandfather  Abraham  Enloe's. 

"  One  Mr.  Thompson  married  my  aunt  Nancy,  daughter  of 
Abraham  Enloe,  contrary  to  the  will  of  my  grandfather;  to 
conceal  the  matter  from  my  grandfather's  knowledge,  Thomp 
son  stole  her  away  and  went  to  Kentucky;  on  the  trip  they 
were  married.  Hearing  of  their  marriage,  my  grandfather 
reflected  and  decided  to  invite  them  back  home.  On  their 
return  they  were  informed  of  the  tumult  in  my  grandfather's 
household  because  of  Nancy  Hanks,  who  had  given  birth  to  a 
child;  and  when  my  uncle  and  aunt,  Thompson  and  wife, 
returned  to  their  Kentucky  home,  they  took  with  them  Nancy 
Hanks  and  her  child.  This  is  the  family  story  as  near  as 
I  can  reproduce  it  from  memory. 

"In  1 86 1  I  came  home  from  Raleigh  to  recruit  my  com 
pany.  On  my  return,  while  waiting  for  the  stage  in  Asheville, 
I  took  dinner  at  what  was  then  the  Carolina  House.  The 
table  was  filled  largely  with  officers  going  to  and  from  their 
various  commands.  The  topic  of  conversation  seemed  to 
be  Abraham  Lincoln.  One  of  the  gentlemen  remarked  that 
Lincoln  was  not  the  correct  name  of  the  President — that  his 
name  was  Enloe  and  that  his  father  lived  in  Western  North 


92    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Carolina.    I  maintained  the  part  of  an  interested  listener,  and 
no  one  suspected  that  my  name  was  Enloe. 

"  After  this,  during  the  war,  and  while  stationed  in  East 
Tennessee,  I  was  handed  a  paper  with  nearly  a  column  of  what 
purported  to  be  a  sketch  of  Abraham  Lincoln's  early  life  in 
Kentucky — alleging  that  his  father's  name  was  Enloe,  and  that 
he  (Lincoln)  was  born  in  Western  North  Carolina." 

WESLEY   M.    ENLOE 

Mr.  Enloe  was  born  1811,  in  Haywood  county,  N.  C,  and 
is  the  ninth  and  only  surviving  son  of  Abraham  Enloe.  He 
resides  on  the  same  farm  and  in  the  same  house  in  which 
his  father  lived  when  Nancy  Hanks  was  banished  from  the 
household.  He  is  a  quiet,  suave,  intelligent  gentleman  of  the 
old  school,  and  a  prosperous  farmer.  He  said : 

"  I  was  born  after  the  incident  between  father  and  Nancy 
Hanks.  I  have,  however,  a  vivid  recollection  of  hearing  the 
name  Nancy  Hanks  frequently  mentioned  in  the  family  while 
I  was  a  boy.  No,  I  never  heard  my  father  mention  it ;  he  was 
always  silent  on  the  subject  so  far  as  I  know. 

"  Nancy  Hanks  lived  in  my  father's  family.  I  have  no 
doubt  the  cause  of  my  father's  sending  her  to  Kentucky  is  the 
one  generally  alleged.  The  occurrence  as  understood  by  my 
generation  and  given  to  them  by  that  of  my  father,  I  have 
no  doubt  is  essentially  true." 

Mr.  Cathey's  Second  Edition  reprinted  the  first  edition 
entire,  and  added  more  than  a  hundred  pages  of  supplementary 
matter.  This  was  largely  a  discussion  of  what  had  preceded, 
and  a  comparison  of  the  theories  of  the  different  biographers 
of  Lincoln.  There  is  also  considerable  added  correspondence 
with  scattered  members  of  the  Enloe  family,  but  no  important 
addition  to  the  story.  Perhaps  the  most  important  part  of 
appended  matter  is  in  the  following  pages: 

Four  things  have  combined  to  prevent  the  real  life  of 
Abraham  Lincoln:  blind  hero-worship;  aristocratic  sentiment; 
false  modesty  and  aversion  to  laborious  research — four  things 
Abraham  Lincoln  trampled  under  his  feet  as  an  elephant 
would  trample  the  mire  of  the  jungle. 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA    93 

Little  wonder  Abraham  Lincoln's  origin  has  been  the  sub 
ject  of  imagination  and  conjecture.  In  childhood  and  youth 
his  place  of  abode  a  squalid  camp  in  a  howling  wilderness;  his 
meal  an  ashen  crust;  his  bed  a  pile  of  leaves;  his  nominal 
guardian  a  shiftless  and  worthless  wanderer;  his  intimate  as 
sociates  and  putative  relatives  a  gross,  illiterate  and  supersti 
tious  rabble. 

Little  wonder  that  in  some  quarters  Abraham  Lincoln's 
fame  has  bordered  upon  deification.  His  all  but  miraculous 
burst  from  the  wilderness  into  the  nation's  eye ;  his  heroic  and 
glorious  life-achievement;  his  sudden  passing  at  the  assassin's 
hand,  these,  with  the  element  of  sadness  which  was  the  in 
separable  genius  of  his  nature  and  culminating  incident  of  his 
fortune,  are  the  elements  needful  to  magnify  the  subject  be 
yond  human  proportion.  Abraham  Lincoln  passed  from  the 
mountain  top  of  earthly  greatness  into  the  vast  unknown  in 
a  halo  of  heroism,  mysticism  and  sorrow;  and  doubtless  he 
shall  continue  for  all  time  to  come  to  draw  from  all  mankind 
admiration,  wonder  and  tears.  In  the  glamor  of  this  mingled 
mist  and  glare  the  huge  proportion  of  one  of  the  greatest  and 
most  human  of  men  has  been  despoiled  by  the  rude  hand  of 
the  ignorant  enthusiast.  The  great,  refreshing  spectacle  has 
been  bungled.  The  pity  of  it!  As  a  result  of  the  operation 
of  these  abnormal  influences  the  entire  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
has  suffered,  but  no  chapter  like  that  on  his  origin.  Here 
was  something  out  of  the  ordinary — something  unseen;  but 
instead  of  allowing  the  light  to  shine  into  this  grotto  in  a 
great  life,  fanatic  biographers  and  other  sinister  and  designing 
persons,  have  endeavored  to  magnify  and  involve  the  mystery 
for  purposes  of  heathen  worship,  or  have  sought  to  come  into 
possession  of  it  that  they  might  destroy  it.  The  paternal  origin 
of  Abraham  Lincoln :  this  is  the  secret.  Light,  once  deflected 
here  and  an  hundred  other  nooks  and  corners  in  his  per 
sonality,  will  light  up  and  become  plain  and  comprehensible. 

To  evade  or  conceal  a  cardinal  fact  relative  to  Abraham 
Lincoln  is  not  only  a  moral  wrong,  but  a  reflection  upon  his 
character  and  a  violation  of  his  memory.  The  nature  of  his 
origin  is  primarily  indispensable  to  an  intelligent,  not  to  say 
full,  conception  of  his  character.  The  correct  source  of  his 
origin  is,  practically,  universally  accepted  as  a  matter  of  doubt 
— an  unsettled  question — an  unknown  quantity — in  his  life. 


94    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

If  no  trustworthy  means  were  in  existence  or  accessible  for 
the  removal  of  the  doubt,  for  the  settlement  of  the  question, 
moral  responsibility  would  not  obtain  and  the  mystery  would 
continue.  But,  fortunately  for  posterity,  there  is  in  existence 
and  available  all  the  means  necessary  to  a  final,  correct  and 
satisfactory  solution.  Using  the  approved  methods  of  the  his 
torian  in  collecting1  data,  there  is  not  a  fact  in  the  first  twenty 
years  of  the  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  easier  of  establishment 
than  that  of  his  real  paternal  origin. 

There  could  be  but  three  ways  of  accounting  for  the  being 
of  Abraham  Lincoln  or  any  other  man :  First,  that  he  was  of 
natural  legitimate  origin;  second,  that  he  was  of  natural 
illegitimate  origin;  and  third,  that  he  was  of  miraculous  origin. 
The  first  hypothesis  has  been  taken  for  granted  as  true  and 
passed  without  further  thought  by  the  casual  layman  and 
biographical  novice.  The  second  hypothesis  or  theory  has 
been  affirmed  by  tradition  so  well  defined,  closely  connected 
and  emphatic  that  the  element  of  myth  is  entirely  absent;  by 
the  two  most  intimate  and  distinguished  personal  biographers 
of  Mr.  Lincoln  after  the  most  laborious,  exhaustive  and  con 
scientious  research;  and  by  an  extensive,  intelligent  and 
authentic  public  consensus.  The  third  hypothesis  has  been 
whispered  by  the  few,  and  voiced  by  at  least  one  reputable 
eulogist  who  said  that  "Abraham  Lincoln  was  without  an 
cestors,  fellows  or  successors."  It  is  barely  possible  that  some 
of  Mr.  Watterson's  contemporaries  should  construe  him  liter 
ally,  and  that  mankind  generally  a  thousand  years  hence  would 
do  so,  it  is  more  than  probable.  Granted  that  the  third  hy 
pothesis  is  unreasonable,  the  settlement  of  the  question  turns 
upon  the  weight  of  evidence  between  the  first  and  second. 

It  is  the  office  of  these  pages  to  submit  testimony  in  support 
of  the  second  theory — that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  of  illegiti 
mate  origin,  his  father  being  Abraham  Enloe,  and  not  Thomas 
Lincoln  or  any  one  else. 

In  addition  to  the  sound,  sustained  and  perennial  tradition 
of  North  Carolina,  the  author  submits  in  this  addenda  ex 
trinsic  historical  data  and  other  cumulative  evidence. 

Before  giving  to  the  public  the  record  of  the  paternity  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  the  present  enlarged  form,  we  desire  to 
say  that  the  data  bearing  upon  the  subject  is  cumulative,  and 
promises  to  continue  to  be  for  an  indefinite  time.  There  is 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA         95 

other  material  now  in  sight,  but  inaccessible  for  the  present,  or 
at  all,  without  the  expenditure  of  much  time  and  no  little 
money. 

This  enlarged  edition  is  the  result  of  the  acquisition  of 
several  years,  and,  when  time  and  opportunity  permits,  facts 
that  may  come  to  light  that  are  worth  while,  will  be  included 
in  a  subsequent  edition.  Now  that  this  investigation  has  been 
begun  it  is  our  duty  to  accept,  preserve  and  publish  all  the 
material,  trustworthy  facts  bearing  upon  the  subject. 

Two  things,  we  contend,  our  research  have  disclosed  be 
yond  question:  First,  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  illegitimate, 
and  second,  that  his  father  was  an  Abraham  Enloe. 

Another  thing  is  clear  as  a  result  of  our  research :  That 
there  has  been  a  determined  and  systematic  effort  on  the  part 
of  at  least  two  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  most  intimate  personal  biog 
raphers  to  discover  the  truth  of  his  paternal  origin  and  publish 
the  same  to  the  world — these  biographers  were  William  H. 
Herndon,  his  law  partner,  and  Ward  H.  Lamon. 

Again,  there  is  another  fact  that  is,  as  a  result  of  this  in 
vestigation,  equally  as  certain:  That  there  has  been  a  deter 
mined  and  systematic  war  of  suppression  and  destruction 
against  the  publication  and  dissemination  of  the  truth  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  real  paternal  origin  by  certain  individuals. 

It  was  the  original  purpose  of  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Herndon  to 
write  a  rigidly  truthful  narrative  of  the  life  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  How  much  this  purpose  was  influenced  or  prevented 
is  a  matter  that  is  familiar  to  persons  now  living. 

Mr.  Jesse  W.  Weik,  of  Greencastle,  Indiana,  toward  the 
last  in  the  preparation  of  his  biography,  became  a  collaborator 
with  Mr.  Herndon.  In  1865  Mr.  Herndon  visited  the  scenes 
of  Mr.  Lincoln's  birth  and  early  years  in  Kentucky,  as  did  Mr. 
Weik,  later. 

These  personal  visits  to  Kentucky  were  made  with  a  view 
to  ascertaining  the  truth  pertaining  to  these  early  periods  in  the 
life  of  their  hero.  Mr.  Herndon  says  that  "  Mr.  Weik  spent 
considerable  time  investigating  the  truth  of  a  report  current  in 
Bourbon  county,  Kentucky,  that  Thomas  Lincoln  from  one 
Abraham  Inlow,  a  miller  there,  assumed  the  paternity  of  the 
infant  child  of  a  poor  girl  named  Nancy  Hanks,  and  after 
marriage,  moved  with  her  to  Washington  or  Hardin  county, 
where  the  son,  who  was  named  Abraham,  after  his  real,  and 


96    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Lincoln  after  his  putative  father,  was  born."  Mr.  Herndon 
does  not  say  that  Mr.  Weik  after  investigation,  found  the 
report  to  be  untrue,  but,  instead,  goes  on  at  considerable  length 
to  substantiate  the  report. 

See  suppressed  matter  following. 

This  much  may  be  found  in  the  suppressed  three-volume 
edition  of  Lincoln  by  Messrs.  Herndon  and  Weik.  The  ques 
tion  then  recurs  upon  the  fact  as  to  whether  there  was  an 
elaborate  investigation  of  the  illegitimate  paternity  of  Mr. 
Lincoln,  and  if  so,  did  they  write  down  in  their  manuscript 
for  posterity,  the  complete  account  of  their  findings.  The 
facts  are  that  Mr.  Weik,  because  of  influences  brought  to  bear 
upon  him,  receded  from  his  original  position  of  independent 
recorder  of  truth  and  fact  and  destroyed  the  original  manu 
script. 

Mr.  Lamon  bought  from  Mr.  Herndon  the  use  of  his 
original  manuscript,  paying  him  three  thousand  dollars  there 
for. 

But  Mr.  Weik  and  those  associated  with  him  in  their  cam 
paign  of  destruction,  were  careful  to  make  way  with  every 
volume  of  Lamon  they  could  lay  hand  on. 

Through  Weik's  influence  other  valuable  evidence  gathered 
by  Mr.  Herndon  at  great  expense  was  destroyed. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  facts  touching  Abraham  Lincoln's 
illegitimate  origin  as  first  recorded  by  his  intimate  friend  and 
law  partner  between  whom  and  Mr.  Lincoln,  as  Mr.  Horace 
White  assures  us,  there  was  never  an  unkind  word  or  thought, 
are  three  editions  removed  from  Mr.  Herndon's  original  manu 
script.  The  Lamon  biography  which  we  count  as  one  edition, 
it  having  within  its  covers  the  original  Herndon  manuscript, 
the  three-volume  Life  by  Messrs.  Herndon  and  Weik,  and 
the  two-volume  edition  by  Messrs.  Herndon  and  Weik. 

It  is  evident  that  the  three-volume  edition  was  suppressed 
because  of  the  statements  with  regard  to  Mr.  Lincoln's  illegiti 
mate  paternity,  for  the  reason  that  these  are  the  identical 
statements  expurgated  in  the  last  or  two-volume  edition  of 
Herndon  and  Weik. 

It  is  establishable  that  the  collaborator  of  Mr.  Herndon, 
who  was  the  collector  of  this  illegitimate-paternity  data,  was 
also  the  chief  agent  in  the  destruction  of  it.  It  is  even  more 
remarkable  that  the  current  expurgated  edition  in  two  volumes 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA         97 

contains  numerous  hints  of  illegitimate  paternity  but  in  very 
subdued  form. 

These  facts  evidently  show  that  the  original  findings  of 
William  H.  Herndon  and  Jesse  W.  Weik,  upon  the  question 
of  Abraham  Lincoln's  paternity,  were  indubitable.  This  being 
admitted  the  facts  which  were  published  in  meager  or  subdued 
form  would  indicate  the  facts  which  were  written  or  published 
in  complete  or  elaborate  form. 

And  more,  is  it  reasonable  that  two  reputable  citizens,  cul 
tured  and  refined  gentlemen,  the  one  the  law-partner  and  life 
long,  intimate  friend,  and  the  other  an  ardent  admirer,  of  a 
man  among  the  greatest  and  most  illustrious  of  the  time,  would, 
as  his  personal  biographers,  write  down  for  the  gaze  of  pos 
terity  a  rumor,  a  report  affecting  so  personal  and  vital  a  sub 
ject  as  that  of  his  origin,  and  that,  too,  in  defiance  of  the 
well-known  canons  of  society? 

In  view  of  these  facts  the  conclusion  is  inevitable,  leaving 
the  North  Carolina  tradition  entirely  out  of  the  question,  that 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  the  son  of  an  Abraham  Enloe  by  Nancy 
Hanks. 

We  shall  not  discuss  the  question  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  illegiti 
mate  paternity  from  the  Lamon  biography  point  of  view  fur 
ther  than  to  invite  the  reader's  careful  attention  to  the  entire 
quotation  on  the  subject,  and  particularly  to  the  allusions  to 
the  relations  existing  between  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Abraham 
Enloe  or  Inlow,  the  name  being  spelled  differently  in  different 
localities. 

Mr.  Lamon's  opening  paragraphs  are  significant.  He  says 
almost  emphatically  that  Lincoln  was  of  illegitimate  paternity. 
He  wrote  in  the  major  part  from  Mr.  Herndon' s  manuscript, 
and  it  is  evident  that  he  knew  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  an 
illegitimate.  Subsequent  references  to  the  "  Mows,"  and  to 
"  Abraham  Inlow,"  afford  strong  reason  for  the  inference  that 
he  knew  to  a  certainty  the  fact  he  had  obliquely  though  un 
mistakably  stated  at  the  outset. 

It  were  far  better  had  Messrs.  Herndon  and  Weik  and  Mr. 
Lamon  written  and  published  the  plain,  blunt  facts.  By  record 
ing  a  rumor,  a  vague  report,  these  biographers  lowered,  vul 
garized  and  jeopardized  their  office.  If,  as  it  is  our  opinion 
based  upon  thorough  investigation,  these  biographers  wrote 
down  the  true  facts  about  Mr.  Lincoln's  origin,  and  these  facts 


98    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

were  afterward  modified  and  accommodated  by  others  to  the 
end  that  they  might  be  shadowed  with  doubt,  and  ultimately 
ignored  by  the  student  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  perpetrators 
misjudged  mankind  and  threw  a  challenge  in  the  teeth  of  the 
very  incident  they  were  designing  to  intercept.  Somewhere 
in  the  deep  of  the  heart  of  mankind  there  is  a  chamber  sacred 
to  the  love  of  truth.  The  tallest  and  whitest  heroes  of  history 
are  the  martyrs  to  the  cause  of  truth. 

Through  Mr.  John  E.  Burton,  of  Lake  Geneva,  Wisconsin, 
the  author  entered  into  an  extended  correspondence  with  Mr. 
Cathey.  He  proved  to  be  a  frank  and  gracious  correspondent. 
His  first  letter  was  addressed  to  Mr.  Burton,  and  was  answered 
by  the  present  author,  in  a  series  of  questions  to  which  the 
reply  was  delayed  for  some  time,  but  which  came  at  length 
and  was  very  pleasant  in  its  spirit  and  ready  with  all  desired 
information.  As  the  author  will  comment  later  upon  these 
letters  and  upon  Mr.  Cathey's  theory,  his  own  letters,  with  a 
single  exception,  are  omitted;  but  enough  will  be  given  from 
the  pen  of  Mr.  Cathey  to  show  his  full  and  mature  judgment 
of  the  matter. 

My  letter  to  Mr.  John  E.  Burton,  after  purchasing  the  Cole- 
man  pamphlet  and  the  Cathey  book  which  had  previously  be 
longed  to  him,  called  attention  to  the  following  facts: 

1.  That  these  two  did  not  agree.    One  represents  Abraham 
Enloe,  the  father  of  Lincoln,  as  resident  in  North  Carolina, 
and  the  other  Abraham  Enlow  as  a  neighbor  of  the  Lincolns  in 
La  Rue  County,  Kentucky.    According  to  one,  Nancy  was  sent 
to  Kentucky  alone,  leaving  Enloe  in  North  Carolina  to  adjust 
matters  with  his  wife  as  best  he  could;  'according  to  the  other 
he  and  Thomas  Lincoln  were  both  married  and  neighbors  in 
Kentucky. 

2.  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks  were  certainly  mar 
ried  in  1806.     Abraham  was  born  in  1809.     The  pregnancy 
of  Nancy  did  not  antedate  her  marriage.     Moreover,  the  pic 
ture  which  Mr.  Helm  gave  to  Herndon  of  her  public  per 
formance  at  camp-meeting  (if  it  was  indeed  Nancy  whom  Mr. 
Helm  describes)  does  not  indicate  that  she  was  then  visibly 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA         99 

advanced  in  pregnancy,  yet  this  was  just  before  her  marriage. 
In  a  community  like  that  she  would  not  have  been  likely  to 
publish  her  condition  by  such  conspicuous  performance.  The 
theory  that  she  was  pregnant  at  the  time  when  she  was  married 
fails  to  meet  many  important  conditions. 

3.  If  Enlow  was  Lincoln's  father,  the  matter  could  hardly 
have  been  one  of  seduction  before  marriage;  it  must  have  been 
of  adultery  after  marriage.  The  two  books  compel  the  as 
sumption  of  radically  different  conditions. 

Mr.  Burton  forwarded  my  letter  to  Mr.  Cathey,  who  wrote 
to  him  under  date  of  May  16,  1919: 

LETTER   OF   JAMES  H.    CATHEY   TO   JOHN  E.   BURTON 

SYLVA,  N.  C,  May  16,  1919. 
MY  DEAR  MR.  BURTON: 

I  was  surprised  and  delighted  to  get  a  letter  in  your  bold 
and  steady  hand  at  the  comfortable  age  of  72,  once  again. 

I  congratulate  you  on  the  vigor  which  this  letter  discloses 
of  body  and  mind.  I  cannot  see  why  you  should  not  attain 
the  coveted  human  limit  of  a  hundred. 

No,  I  cannot  help  your  ministerial  friend,  however  much  on 
your  own  or  his  account  I  should  wish  to  do  so,  if  he  cannot 
find  the  information  desired  in  my  last  edition  of  The  Genesis 
of  Lincoln.  This  he  says  he  has  read.  I  refer  to  the  enlarged 
edition,  containing  your  admirable  lecture  on  Mr.  Lincoln. 

It  was  after  I  had  published  my  book  containing  the 
North  Carolina  story  that  I  ran  across  the  local  yarn  with 
regard  to  the  "  Old  Abe  Enlow "  of  Kentucky  and  Nancy 
Hanks.  There  is  no  exact  date  mentioned  by  any  witness  in 
my  book  as  to  when  Nancy  Hanks  lived  in  the  North  Carolina 
Abe  Enloe's  home,  or  when  she  became  pregnant. 

The  Enloes  of  North  Carolina  had  knowledge  of  the  fact 
that  branches  of  the  family  lived  contemporaneously  in  Ken 
tucky.  There  is  no  doubt  about  this.  They  intervisited  occa 
sionally  as  business  or  pleasure  impelled  them. 

I  do  not  pretend  to  speak  with  the  force  of  an  oracle  or 
even  to  present  indubitable  facts  in  my  story.  I  simply  con 
serve  a  most  interesting  tradition  custodianed  by  plain  pioneers 
of  veracity  and  integrity  who  deal  not  in  dates  or  in  the  re- 
finemenjts  of  philosophy. 


100  PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

In  fact  I  do  not  pretend  to  believe  with  the  faith  that  would 
remove  a  mole-hill  that  Abe  Enloe  of  Kentucky  could  not 
have  been  the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  There  is  no 
doubt  about  there  having  been  a  North  Carolina  Abe  Enloe, 
and  that  this,  the  narrative  which  my  book  recounts,  origi 
nated  and  gained  currency  in  North  Carolina  or  Kentucky 
about  the  beginning  of  the  last  century. 

I  am  as  certain  as  I  am  of  anything  not  actually  demon 
strable  that  some  Abraham  Enloe  was  the  father  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  and  that  that  responsibility  lay  between  the  "  miller  " 
Abe  of  Kentucky  and  the  farmer  Abe  of  North  Carolina.  I 
shall  not  enter  into  any  explanation  as  to  how  the  story  became 
mixed,  but  the  fact  of  family  relationship  and  the  intercourse 
between  the  two  families  would  easily  afford  a  premise  from 
which  to  proceed. 

The  very  fact  that  Herndon's  and  Lamon's  lives  of  Lincoln 
were  suppressed  by  men  of  high  standing  and  influence  some 
years  ago,  and  that  expurgated  parts  of  these  "lives"  were 
the  paragraphs  which  referred  to  Lincoln's  Enloe  origin,  is 
sufficient  proof  of  the  foundation  on  -fact  of  these  statements. 
Neither  Col.  Lamon  nor  Mr.  Herndon  would  have  recorded 
a  lie  about  Lincoln's  paternity,  and  these  suppressors  knew  it. 

The  real  truth  is  that  Abraham  Lincoln,  among  the  great 
men  of  history  has  had  more  than  his  share  of  pure  personal 
fiction.  Lincoln,  like  all  the  very  powerful  leaders  of  men, 
possesses  in  the  language  of  Chauncey  Depew  "a  super 
abundance  of  common  sense,"  with  an  eccentric  turn  of  intel 
lect  susceptible  of  the  strange  combination  of  emotion,  deep, 
tense  and  feeling,  and  humor.  And  yet,  in  keeping  with  an 
other  character  of  superlative  force,  he  could  be  cold  and 
implacable,  should  occasion  arise. 

His  own  cabinet  never  properly  or  justly  appraised  him 
until  he  was  cold  in  death.  Stanton  looked  upon  him  and 
treated  him  as  though  he  had  been  a  sort  of  grotesque  heavy 
weight  clown,  a  sort  of  wilful  incumbrance  upon  his  cabinet. 
Lincoln  is  the  most  difficult  of  all  modern  leaders  to  account 
for  in  the  usual  conventional  way.  I  have  studied  him  from 
every  angle,  and  the  only  way  I  can  account  for  him  is,  that 
from  his  conception  to  his  death  he  was  the  child  and  instru 
ment  of  a  special  Divine  Providence. 

To  tell  you  the  truth,  it  little  matters  to  me  or  the  average 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA       101 

or  common  man,  how  he  came  into  being.  We  know  that  he 
was  our  friend  and  brother,  and  that  his  life  was  spent  for  our 
welfare.  We  know  he  overruled  egotism  and  ignorance  in  his 
own  camp,  for  Union  and  Liberty. 

If  you  are  looking  for  a  religious  man  in  Lincoln,  as  the 
orthodox  world  accepts  and  interprets  the  term,  you  shall  be 
disappointed.  Lincoln  was  a  religion  unto  himself.  He  per 
sonified  the  virtues  of  mankind.  In  early  life  he  was  skeptical; 
in  his  maturer  years  he  was  no  churchman.  It  may  have 
been  that  in  his  Presidential  years,  with  the  awful  weight  of 
responsibility  upon  him,  and  in  the  shadow  which  the  death  of 
his  son  cast  upon  his  great  soul,  he  became  humble  and  trusting 
and  worshipful  of  the  Deity.  It  is  certain  that  he  always 
recognized  the  Almighty  in  his  messages  and  state  papers, 
and  that  he  acknowledged  his  dependence,  and  that  of  the 
nation,  upon  His  blessing  and  guidance. 

No !  To  a  person  who  has  spent  much  time  and  pains  upon 
the  story  of  Lincoln,  there  is  so  much  that  bears  the  marks 
of  sinister  and  objective  tempering  that  one  despairs  of  the 
facts,  and  would  wipe  out  the  whole  blurred  thing  if  he  could, 
and  leave  the  great  man  alone  in  his  naked,  human,  soul- 
grandeur. 

You,  sir,  are  just  20  years  my  senior,  but  I  venture  you 
are  in  some  respects  the  younger  man.  In  my  younger  days  I 
was  fool  enough  to  hurt  myself  by  drink;  and  while  I  am  a 
teetotalist  I  shall  never  entirely  recover  from  the  effects.  I 
lost  my  father  two  years  ago;  my  two  sons  went  to  the  army, 
and  my  eldest  daughter  and  youngest  son  died  from  influenza 
last  winter. 

I  suffered  the  loss  of  my  business  and  my  home,  and  am 
reduced  to  poverty,  yet  I  have  not  lost  faith  in  God  or  my 
fellow  man,  and  am  hopeful  of  a  better  day.  .  .  . 

I  shall  never  forget  the  peculiar  circumstances  under 
which  we  came  to  collaborate  on  the  last  edition  of  the  Lincoln 
"  Genesis,"  and  shall  always  cultivate  a  rich  plot  in  my  heart 
for  you.  May  your  elderly  years  be  extended,  and  your  peace 
be  perfect  when  you  "  put  out  to  sea." 

I  am,  Yours  at  your  instant  service, 

Cordially, 

JAMES  H.  CAT  HEY. 


102    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

•  '"At 'this  point  I  took  up  correspondence  with  Mr.  Cathey, 
and  I  quote  one  of  his  letters  here,  and  others  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  book: 


LETTER  OF  HON.  JAMES   H.    CATHEY 

SYLVA,  N.  C.,  Aug.  29,  1919. 
REV.  WM.  E.  BARTON, 

OAK  PARK,  ILL. 
DEAR  SIR: 

I  am  frank  to  confess  to  pure  negligence  and  procrastina 
tion  in  failing  to  answer  your  letter.  This  is  a  very  ugly 
failing  of  mine.  I  beg  your  pardon. 

No,  I  did  not  construe  your  letter  as  antagonistic  or  pro 
vocative.  I  think  I  understand  your  attitude.  For  fear  you 
might  misconceive  my  attitude  toward  the  subject  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  origin,  I  wish  to  say  that  I  do  not  deem  the  subject 
of  the  very  pro  roundest  importance.  I  think,  if  possible,  the 
truth  should  be  known,  and  that  Mr.  Lincoln  should  be  ac 
counted  for  through  the  regular  human  channels.  I  am  sure 
from  my  limited  investigation  there  has  been  more  of  news 
paper  exaggeration  and  prevarication,  fiction  and  blaring  un 
truth  written  and  spoken  about  Abraham  Lincoln  than  any 
other  great  man  in  history. 

Lincoln  was  not  of  divine  origin,  as  was  the  Carpenter 
of  Nazareth,  and  he  did  not  spring  from  nothing,  as  he  must 
surely  have  done  if  Tom  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks  were 
his  real  parents.  Worshipful  biographers  and  delirious  ora 
tors  like  Robert  G.  Ingersoll  and  Marse  Henry  Watterson 
have  invested  his  advent  with  a  godlike  glamour  and  his 
character  and  career  with  superhuman  qualities  of  the  myth 
of  pagan  deities.  Some  of  these  ascribe  to  Nancy  Hanks 
the  highest  and  noblest  characteristics  of  intellect  and  soul. 
There  is  absolutely  no  base  founded  in  fact  for  any  such 
extravagance.  Not  a  single  one  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  deifiers 
have  had  the  audacity  to  claim  anything  superior  for  Tom 
Lincoln.  We  make  no  doubt  that  Lincoln's  mother  was  a 
woman  of  good  native  sense  and  sensibility,  but  like  many 
another  of  Eve's  progeny  of  unfortunate  environment. 

My  attitude  toward  the  North  Carolina  and  Kentucky  tra 
ditions  is  this: 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA       103 

I  am  as  completely  convinced  as  I  could  be  of  any  fact 
not  mathematically  provable  that  an  Abraham  Enloe  was  the 
"  accidental  "  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  I  think  Lincoln 
was  a  child  of  special  providence.  That  his  unconventional 
advent  into  the  world  is  one  of  the  mysteries.  I  think  God, 
if  you  please,  shaped  him  from  before  his  conception  for  the 
work  which  he  wrought  and  the  identical  destiny  which  he  ful 
filled.  The  Architect  designed  him  in  the  mold  of  the  mass  of 
men  and  gave  him  a  mind  to  perceive  and  a  soul  to  feel.  To 
these  was  added  a  personality  of  perfect  poise  which  func 
tioned  like  a  healthy  human  organ  to  the  cry  of  every  creature. 
Lincoln  was  always  human.  Indeed,  he  was  one  of  the  two 
greatest  humans  in  a  thousand  years  of  Anglo-Saxon  history. 
The  other  was  Robert  Lee.  Lee  was  the  greatest  spiritual 
commoner  among  aristocrats.  Lincoln  was  the  great  intel 
lectual  aristocrat  among  commoners.  Both  were  virtuous  as 
Socrates.  Yes,  Lincoln  was  the  instrument  of  Providence, 
through  and  by  human  if  extraordinary  means.  It  seems 
that  if  you  would  read  my  little  book,  brother  Barton,  you 
would  get  my  attitude  toward  the  story  itself.  I  simply 
wrote  it  to  preserve  an  interesting  tradition.  I  do  not  claim 
infallibiliy  for  the  "  recollections  "  or  the  main  fact.  I  do 
claim  that  it  is  very  extraordinary;  the  subsistence  of  their 
tradition  since  the  early  years  of  last  century  here  and  in  Ken 
tucky  among  two  generations  of  people  as  honest,  honorable, 
and  truthful  as  any. 

Of  late  I  have  become  somewhat  disgusted  with  the  at 
tempt  of  a  South  Carolinian  to  prove  that  John  C.  Calhoun 
was  Lincoln's  father.  If  this  sort  of  thing  persists,  I  shall 
call  in  every  book  of  mine  unsold,  burn  the  last  remaining 
copy,  and  wash  my  hands  of  the  whole  business.  I  have 
never  been  too  deeply  impressed  with  the  correctness  of  the 
morals  involved  in  the  dissemination  of  such  a  story.  I  may 
be  prudish  or  cowardly.  If  it  is  a  lie  that  Lincoln  was  sired 
by  old  Tom  Lincoln,  ought  the  world  to  be  enlightened  or 
should  it  remain  in  blissful  ignorance? 

As   to  my  own   story: 

I  am  like  the  great  savior  of  the  Union, — "  The  short 
and  simple  annals  of  the  poor." 

I  am  fifty-three  years  of  age  next  December;  a  long,  lank 
Appalachian  mountaineer  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  as  the 


104    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

name  Cathey  implies.  I  was  raised  up  on  the  farm  by  a 
rigorous-minded  hard- working  great-hearted  father;  received 
a  very  common  school  training.  Have  farmed,  lumbered, 
clerked  in  store,  got  law-license;  written  a  little  and  drank 
liquor  betimes.  My  wife  has  raised  a  highly  respected  family 
of  four  boys  and  three  girls,  three  of  whom  are  dead.  Drink 
and  the  devil  have  deprived  me  of  a  career,  but  I  am  happy 
to  tell  you  that  I  have  done  with  drink  and  the  devil,  and  with 
the  return  of  fair  health,  I  have  hope  and  purpose  to  cut 
some  figure  for  the  better  yet. 

I  did  not  tell  you  that  I  have  misrepresented  my  section 
of  the  Tar-Heel  State  in  both  houses  of  the  General  Assembly. 

I  would  advise  you  to  say  nothing  in  your  book  on  the 
religious  side  *  of  Lincoln  about  his  illegitimate  origin.  If  you 
doubt,  give  the  public  the  benefit  of  your  silence. 

Pardon  this  presumption. 

Yours  very  respectfully, 

JAMES  H.  CATHEY. 

P.S.  I  am  due  you  and  myself  to  say  that  I  have  been  a 
semi-invalid  since  last  October,  but  am  improving.  Write  me 
again,  and  pardon  my  open-speaking,  as  this  (frankness)  is 
my  trait.  J.  H.  C. 

1  This  letter  was  written  when  the  author  was  preparing  his  The 
Soul  of  Abraham  Lincoln  for  the  press.  He  had  no  occasion  in  that 
volume  to  refer  to  these  stories. 


CHAPTER  XII 
THE  HARDIN  STORY 

IN  a  short  essay  by  Miss  Ida  M.  Tarbell  on  the  parents  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  used  in  a  brochure  for  the  Lincoln  Farm 
and  also  as  the  preface  of  one  set  of  Lincoln's  writings,  sev 
eral  names  are  given  of  men  who  severally  have  been  reputed 
as  the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Among  the  family  names 
she  gives  that  of  Hardin.  In  the  course  of  my  investigation 
of  this  subject,  I  listened  for  any  mention  of  that  name,  but 
for  a  long  time  I  did  not  hear  it.  I  made  a  few  inquiries 
without  result,  and  had  come  to  question  whether  this  name 
belonged  in  the  list  which  I  was  compiling.  At  length,  in 
Washington  County,  Kentucky,  I  learned  the  story.  It  was 
given  to  me  by  a  lawyer,  belonging  to  one  of  the  old  families, 
who,  however,  took  pains  to  assure  me  that  he  did  not  him 
self  credit  it.  He  said,  however,  that  so  far  as  he  had  ever 
heard,  this  was  the  only  form  in  which  the  story  of  Lincoln's 
illegitimacy  had  ever  been  current  in  that  county ;  and  I  found 
that  he  was  totally  ignorant  of  such  other  forms  of  the  story 
as  I  had  occasion  to  mention  to  him. 

The  story  in  brief  is  this :  That  while  Nancy  Hanks  was 
living  in  Washington  County  in  the  home  of  Richard  Berry, 
Martin  D.  Hardin,  afterward  known  as  General  Hardin, 
visited  her  on  his  way  to  Frankfort,  he  being  at  that  time  a 
member  of  the  Kentucky  Legislature,  with  the  result  that  a 
child  was  born  who  was  subsequently  known  as  Abraham 
Lincoln.  This  is  virtually  all  there  is  of  the  story,  and  any 
additional  details  are  to  be  supplied  from  the  records  of  the 
Hardin  family. 

The  Hardin  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  honor 
able  in  Kentucky.  It  first  settled  in  Washington  County  in 
1786  and  its  history  in  the  state  is  nothing  short  of  illus 
trious.  The  family  is  of  Huguenot  descent.  After  the  mas- 

105 


106     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

sacre  of  St.  Bartholomew  three  Huguenot  brothers  migrated 
from  France  to  Canada.  Finding  the  climate  there  too  cold, 
one  of  them  migrated  to  South  Carolina  and  two  to  Virginia. 
About  1765  Martin  Hardin,  descended  from  one  of  the  two 
Virginia  brothers,  removed  from  Fauquier  County,  Virginia, 
to  George's  Creek  on  the  Monongahela  River.  His  seven  chil 
dren,  three  sons  and  four  daughters  were  born  in  Virginia  be 
tween  1741  and  1760.  All  these  removed  to  Kentucky  and 
settled  within  a  circuit  of  ten  miles  of  the  present  site  of 
Springfield. 

The  eldest  of  these  three  sons  was  Colonel  John  Hardin, 
for  whom  Hardin  County  was  named.  He  was  born  in  Vir 
ginia  October  i,  1753.  He  fought  against  the  Indians  in  1774 
and  was  wounded.  He  fought  bravely  in  the  Revolution. 
In  1780  he  located  lands  in  Kentucky  on  his  treasury  warrants. 
In  April,  1786,  he  removed  with  his  wife  and  family  to  Nelson 
County,  settling  in  that  part  which  afterward  became  Wash 
ington  County.  He  fought  with  George  Rogers  Clark.  He 
had  three  sons  and  three  daughters. 

One  of  his  sons,  Martin  D.  Hardin,  was  born  June  21, 
1780,  and  died  October  8,  1823.  He  married,  1808,  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  General  Benjamin  Logan.  He  studied  law  with 
Colonel  George  Nichols  and  practiced  it  at  Richmond  and 
Frankfort  in  that  state.  He  was  Secretary  of  State  of  Ken 
tucky  under  General  Isaac  Shelby,  1812-1816,  and  United 
States  Senator,  1816-1817.  He  died  in  Frankfort,  October 
8,  1823,  aged  43.  He  was  the  father  of  Colonel  John  J.  Hardin, 
M.C.,  of  Illinois,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista 
in  Mexico,  February  23,  1847. 

General  Martin  D.  Hardin  is  the  hero  of  whatever  romance 
is  associated  with  the  name  of  Nancy  Hanks  in  Washington 
County.  Those  who  told  me  of  this  story  were  careful  to 
say  that  it  never  had  any  wide  vogue  in  that  county  and  now  is 
never  heard  of.  In  a  subsequent  chapter  I  shall  have  occasion 
to  refer  to  it  again. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
CHIEF  JUSTICE  MARSHALL  AND  ANDREW 

THE  Enlow  or  Inlow  story  as  related  in  Bourbon  County, 
Kentucky,  is  the  one  most  widely  current  in  the  State,  and 
the  one  vouched  for  by  the  highest  names  that  stand  behind 
any  of  these  stories.  It  is  the  one  to  which  Mr.  Jesse  W.  Weik 
gave  most  attention  when  investigating  these  rumors  before 
the  publication  of  Herndon's  first  edition. 

In  the  same  locality  is  found  another  story,  which  names 
Inlow,  but  assigns  him  a  more  honorable  part;  making  him 
in  a  way  the  protector  rather  than  the  betrayer  of  Nancy,  and 
a  chief  agent  in  securing  for  her  a  home  and  a  husband  and 
a  name  for  her  boy. 

This  story  has  a  place  in  literature,  having  been  written 
up  in  a  thin  volume  which  now  lies  before  the  author. 

In  1889,  Mrs.  Lucinda  Joan  (Rogers)  Boyd  published 
her  book  The  Sorrows  of  Nancy.  Its  argument  is : 

1.  That  Nancy  Hanks,  the  mother  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
was  an  illegitimate  child,  daughter  of  Lucy  Hanks,  Horn- 
back  or  Sparrow,  and  a  man  named  Marshall,  son  of  Judge 
Marshall,  of  Virginia,  Chief  Justice  of  the  United   States. 
Nancy  Hanks  was  born  near  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  in  sight  of 
the  Blue  Ridge  mountains,  and  there  her  mother,  Lucy  Hanks, 
Hornback  or   Sparrow,  lies  buried.     The   father  of   Nancy 
Hanks,  son  of  Hon.  John  Marshall,  was  killed  "  in  border 
warfare." — BOYD,  The  Sorrows  of  Nancy,  pp.  77-78. 

2.  That  Abraham  Lincoln,   son  of  Nancy  Hanks,   was 
born  out  of  wedlock,  near  Thatcher's  Mill,  on  or  near  the 
line  that  divides  Clark  from  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky.    "  In 
the  year  18 — ,"  Nancy  was  living  "  with  other  women  "  in  a 
cabin  near  this  mill,  a  place  apparently  open  to  all  comers. 

Lincoln's  father  was  Andrew  ,  adopted  son  of  John 

107 


108    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Marshall.  Andrew's  father  was  an  Englishman  who  perished 
in  the  same  battle  with  young  Marshall.  In  that  "  battle," 

therefore,  Abraham  Lincoln  lost  both  his  grandfathers, 

Marshall,  and  the  English  father  of  Andrew . 

In  this  narrative,  "  Inlow,  the  miller,"  is  represented  as 
having  been  intimate  with  the  women  of  the  cabin,  but  as  not 
being  the  father  of  Abraham.  Inlow  is  represented  as  ex 
postulating  with  Andrew  and  warning  him  not  to  desert 
Nancy,  the  mother  of  his  child.  Nancy  was  deserted,  how 
ever,  and  Inlow  was  presumably  the  agent  of  Andrew,  or 
else  acted  under  some  sense  of  consideration  for  the  forlorn 
young  woman,  whom  he  also  had  assisted  in  the  downward 
path.  Although  he  himself  was  neither  her  betrayer  nor  the 
father  of  her  child,  he  felt  some  responsibility  for  her  shame, 
and  appears  to  have  been  the  man  who  secured  a  shiftless  fel 
low,  Thomas  Lincoln,  to  marry  her  and  assume  the  parentage 
of  a  son  who  sat  between  Thomas  and  Nancy  as  they  rode 
away  to  be  married. 

On  this  theory  the  name  of  Abraham  Lincoln's  father  is 
not  given,  and  Inlow  is  shielded  from  direct  responsibility  for 
her  condition.  But  the  implication  concerning  her  is  that  she 
was  at  this  time  a  public  prostitute;  though  the  story  which  is 
written  around  these  alleged  facts  holds  her  up  to  pity  because 
of  her  love  for  her  betrayer,  and  her  hard  fate  in  marrying 
a  man  who  was  her  inferior. 

Mrs.  Lucinda  Boyd  set  forth  her  theory  in  a  statement  in 
her  preface: 

I  visited  Washington,  D.C.,  for  the  first  time,  about  ten 
years  ago.  As  I  was  approaching  the  Capitol,  I  came  in  sight 
of  the  statue  of  Chief-Justice  Marshall,  seated.  There, 
thought  I,  as  I  looked  at  it,  is  the  finest  likeness  of  President 
Lincoln  I  have  ever  seen.  I  looked  at  it  for  some  time  from 
all  points  of  view  before  I  read  the  name.  After  reading  the 
inscription,  a  certain  saying  of  my  father's  flashed  across  my 
mind,  and  I  determined  to  learn  the  truth,  the  whole  truth, 
concerning  Abraham  Lincoln's  ancestry.  I  have  done  so — as 
the  following  affidavits  will  show. — The  Sorrows  of  Nancy\ 
pp.  6,  7. 


CHIEF  JUSTICE  MARSHALL         109 

The  visit  to  Washington  would  appear  to  have  been  made 
about  1889;  the  book  was  issued  in  1899. 

The  affidavits  which  make  up  the  Appendix  are  several  in 
number,  and  some  of  them  will  be  cited  in  other  relations. 
That  portion  of  her  own  affidavit  which  embodies  her  father's 
testimony  is  immediately  in  point : 

The  affiant,  L.  Boyd,  states  that  a  few  days  after  the  as 
sassination  of  President  Lincoln,  her  father,  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Rogers,  born  near  Charlotte  Court  House,  Va.,  in  the  year 
1789,  (a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  minister  of  the 
Christian  Church  in  Kentucky  and  other  states  from  the  time 
or  shortly  after  the  time  when  Alexander  Campbell  founded 
the  Disciples'  Church,  until  1877,  when  he  died)  said  to  her: 

"  The  grandmother  of  Abraham  Lincoln  was  called  by  the 
several  names  of  Lucy  Hanks,  Hornback,  or  Sparrow.  Nancy, 
Lincoln's  mother,  was  the  child  of  Lucy  Hanks,  Hornback  or 
Sparrow,  and  a  son  of  Judge  John  Marshall,  of  Virginia. 
Nancy  Hanks,  Hornback  or  Sparrow  was  born  near  Lynch- 
burg,  Va.,  and  in  sight  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains,  and  at 
the  foot  of  them,  her  mother,  Lucy,  lies  buried. 

"  Nancy's  father — son  of  Judge  Marshall — was  killed  in 
'  Border  Warfare/ 

"  Lincoln's  father  was  the  adopted  son  (whether  by  law 
or  not,  I  do  not  know,)  of  the  same  Judge  Marshall,  of  Vir 
ginia,  mentioned  above,  and  was  the  son  of  an  Englishman, 
who  fought  and  was  killed  in  the  same  battle  in  which  the  said 
Nancy's  father  perished.  Abraham  (afterward  called  Lin 
coln)  was  born  near  Thatcher's  Mill,  on  or  near  the  line  that 
divides  Clark  County  from  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky,  and 
was  born  out  of  wedlock.  I  have  often  seen  the  place  where 
he  was  born." 

Rev.  Samuel  Rogers  is  dead,  as  above  stated,  but  in  his  life 
he  knew  Kentucky  and  Virginia  well,  and  was  among  the  first 
men  who  preached  the  new  religion  in  those  two  states. — 
The  Sorrows  of  Nancy,  Appendix. 

This  statement,  with  other  matter  with  which  we  are  not 
immediately  concerned,  was  sworn  to  by  Mrs.  Boyd,  probably 
in  Lexington,  as  it  is  witnessed  by  the  clerk  of  the  Fayette 
County  Court,  September  25,  1895. 


110     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

It  opens  at  least  three  interesting  lines  of  inquiry, — 

1.  The  identity  of  "  Nancy  Hanks,  Hornback  or  Spar 
row/'  and  her  mother,  "  Lucy  Hanks,  Hornback  or  Sparrow," 
with  the  mother  and  grandmother  of  the  President. 

2.  The  identity  of  the  son  of  Chief  Justice  John  Marshall 
who  was  the  father  of  Nancy  Hanks,  and  who  was  killed  in 
"  Border  Warfare." 

3.  The  identity  of  the  "  son  of  an  Englishman  who  was 
killed  in  the  same  battle  in  which  the  son  of  Judge  Marshall 
was  killed,"  thus  depriving  Abraham  Lincoln  of  both  grand 
fathers  at  one  swing  of  the  scythe  of  Time.     In  the  narra 
tive  which  makes  up  the  body  of  the  book,  and  of  which  an 
outline  follows,  she  names  him  "  Andrew,"  but  does  not  give 
his  last  name. 

Between  the  Preface,  in  which  she  sets  forth  her  thesis 
that  Lincoln  was  the  son  of  a  protege  of  Chief  Justice  Marshall, 
and  his  mother  a  daughter  of  one  of  Judge  Marshall's  sons, 
and  the  Appendix,  in  which  she  publishes  the  affidavits  on 
which  her  theory  rests,  Mrs.  Boyd  tells  in  the  form  of  a  short 
story  or  novelette  what  she  believes  happened  to  Nancy  Hanks. 
While  she  does  not  pretend  to  confine  herself  to  historic  facts 
in  this  part  of  her  book,  the  novelette  is  her  reconstruction  of 
history,  and  claims  to  be  in  its  essential  statements  historical. 

The  story  begins  in  Virginia,  at  the  foot  of  the  Blue 
Ridge  Mountains,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
In  a  cabin  lives  a  young  unmarried  woman,  Lucy,  and  her  little 
daughter,  Nancy,  who  has  no  right  to  a  father's  name.  Near 
them  lives  an  old  Negro  woman,  Joult,  whose  stories  of 
frontier  life  are  interwoven,  but  form  no  vital  part  of  the 
narrative. 

In  her  girlhood,  Nancy  meets  a  boy  named  Andrew,  who 
assists  her  at  the  burial  of  a  dead  bird,  whose  death  sets 
Nancy  to  asking  questions  of  immortality  and  the  resurrec 
tion,  when  she  might  better,  perhaps,  have  been  strengthening 
her  soul  against  the  time  when  she  should  meet  Andrew  again. 

There  is  an  aged  white  woman,  Old  Nance,  who  visits  the 
cabin,  and  who  knows  that  the  best  blood  in  Virginia  flows  in 
the  veins  of  little  Nancy.  Old  Nance  comes  to  celebrate  the 


CHIEF  JUSTICE  MARSHALL         111 

birthday  of  little  Nancy,  which  Lucy  keeps  as  a  day  of  mourn 
ing.  Lucy  remembers  her  unwedded  lover,  and  believes  that 
had  he  not  been  killed  in  border  warfare,  he  would  have  come 
back  and  married  her.  She  still  loves  the  dead  man  who  gave 
her  child  life. 

One  day  a  grand  gentleman  in  three  cornered  hat  and 
gold  knee-buckles x  visits  the  neighborhood,  and  is  struck  by 
the  appearance  of  little  Nancy.  He  inquires  whose  child  she 
is,  and  Lucy  covers  her  face  with  her  hands  and  does  not 
tell  him.  But  "  the  grand  gentleman  lost  his  self-control,  and 
dashed  the  gourd  "  in  which  Lucy  was  giving  him  a  drink, 
upon  the  rocky  bridle  path,  and  rode  away.  In  answer  to 
Nancy's  question,  "Who  is  that?"  Old  Nance,  little  Nancy's 
aunt,  replies,  "  That  is  your  grandfather,  Judge  Chief  Justice 
M ." 

Andrew  is  with  the  judge,  and  Nancy  asks  about  him. 

"  He  is  the  son  of  his  adoption.  He  is  the  son  of  an  Eng 
lishman,  who  came  here  and  died,  and  Judge  M made  him 

his  heir  at  law  after  his  own  son  was  killed  on  the  frontier, 
some  years  ago." 

Lucy  did  not  live  long  after  this  incident.  She  died  on 
the  next  Christmas,  and  was  buried  there  in  sight  of  the  Blue 
Ridge.  Slaves  dug  her  grave  and  made  her  coffin,  and  no 
minister  conducted  a  funeral  service,  but  the  dome  of  heaven 
was  her  mausoleum,  and  above  her  grave  was  whispered  by 
the  winds,  "  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life." 

The  next  Spring  the  widowed  robin,  whose  mate  Nancy 
and  Andrew  had  buried,  came  with  a  new  mate,  and  Nancy 
prayed  by  her  mother's  grave. 

The  second  part  of  the  story  is  laid  in  Kentucky.  "  How 
old  Nancy  and  little  Nancy  came  to  Kentucky,  and  with  whom, 
is  not  known.  Certain  it  is,  however,  that  in  the  year  18 — 
they  were  living  with  other  women  in  a  cabin  on  the  line  that 
divides  Clark  County  from  Bourbon." 

There,  in  time,  Andrew  appears:  and  Mrs.  Boyd  dis 
courses  on  the  negligence  of  the  guardian  angel,  on  the  selfish 

1  Chief  Justice  Marshall  was  as  negligent  in  his  attire  as  was  Abraham 
Lincoln.  The  gold  knee-buckles  are  probably  not  historical. 


112    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

way  in  which  men  love  and  of  the  tender  and  confiding  and 
unprotected  way  in  which  the  women  love.  In  these  respective 
ways  Andrew  loved  Nancy  and  Nancy  loved  Andrew. 

"  Inlow  the  miller  "  is  introduced,  apparently  to  clear  his 
name.  He  sits  on  a  log  with  Andrew  and  whittles,  and  as 
they  sit  he  warns  Andrew  that  Nancy  is  young  and  loves 
him,  and  that  he  must  not  treat  her  as  if  she  were  a  hardened 
sinner.  But  the  lesson  was  lost  upon  Andrew. 

11  That  man  never  lived,  who,  if  he  heard  a  girl  loved  him, 
and  were  convinced  of  the  fact  before  he  heard  it  from  another, 
did  not  seek  the  girl  and  prove  it  again  and  again  to  the 
satisfaction  of  his  own  inordinate  vanity."  This  is  the  not 
very  flattering  opinion  of  Mrs.  Boyd,  and  Andrew  is  her  in 
stance  in  point. 

One  day  Old  Nance  and  Little  Nancy  visited  Winchester, 
the  county  seat  of  Clark  County.  It  was  new  and  rough 
but  had  its  own  pride  and  fashion.  There  Nancy  met  face  to 
face  Andrew,  with  "  a  real  lady  "  on  his  arm.  Not  only  did 
he  pass  Nancy  without  speaking,  but  the  "  lady  "  asked  An 
drew,  in  Nancy's  hearing,  "  What  lovely  barbarian  is  that?  " 

Nancy  went  back  to  the  cabin  with  the  other  women,  sick 
in  body  and  mind,  nor  did  she  ever  recover  her  cheerfulness. 

Two  years  later  a  new  lover  appeared,  and  Nancy  accepted 
his  suit,  pressed  through  Abraham  Inlow.  She  consented  to 
become  the  bride  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  and  when  the  two  went 
away  together,  there  rode  between  them  a  little  boy,  the  child 
of  Nancy  and  Andrew. 

Nancy  did  not  live  long.  She  died  still  kissing  the  hand 
that  had  smitten  her  and  loving  Andrew  to  the  end.  "Nancy 
died  young,  and  her  soul  has  long  since  confronted  the  soul 
of  the  man  without  whom  Abraham  Lincoln  never  would 
have  been  born." 

Above  her  lonely  grave  in  Indiana,  Parson  Elkin,  whom 
Mrs.  Boyd  calls  Robert,  though  other  authorities  call  him 
David,  read  the  words  of  Holy  Scripture,  "  I  am  the  resur 
rection  and  the  life." 

So  ends  the  story,  and  then  follow  the  affidavits  which 
attest  the  principal  facts  alleged.  We  shall  later  inquire  into 
the  accuracy  of  this  story. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
JOHN  C.  CALHOUN 

MOST  of  these  traditions  have  given  us  instead  of  Thomas 
Lincoln  male  parents  not  greatly  above  him  in  mental  caliber 
or  in  culture.  But  we  have  found  certain  stories  which  can 
not  thus  be  reproached.  We  end  this  list  with  one  which 
ascribes  the  paternity  of  Abraham  Lincoln  to  John  C.  Cal- 
houn,  the  noted  South  Carolina  Senator  and  advocate  of 
States  Rights.  Together  with  Henry  Clay  and  Daniel  Web 
ster,  he  made  up  the  famous  triumvirate  of  the  Senate,  during 
the  long  discussions  that  preceded  the  Civil  War. 

This  story  appeared  in  four  articles  in  The  State,  a  leading 
newspaper  of  Columbia,  South  Carolina,  by  Mr.  D.  J.  Knotts, 
a  resident  of  that  State. 

With  some  difficulty  the  author  secured  access  to  these 
articles.  Extra  copies  of  the  papers  containing  them  were  not 
available,  and  few  if  any  of  the  great  libraries  had  noticed  or 
preserved  them.  They  were  obtained,  however,  after  some 
search.1  But  the  author  will  not  quote  them  here,  as  a  pro 
longed  correspondence  with  the  author  led  him  to  go  over  the 
ground  more  thoroughly  than  the  articles  had  done;  and  the 
story  can  best  be  presented  in  his  letters,  which,  after  having 
been  copied,  were  sent  to  him  for  revision,  and  were  corrected 
by  his  hand: 

LETTER  FROM  D.  J.   KNOTTS 

Swansea,  S.  C.,  Aug.  23,  1919. 
DR.  BARTON. 

MY  DEAR  SIR:  Your  letter  of  inquiry  with  regard  to 
President  Lincoln  dated  Aug.  17  was  received  today.  I 
will  say,  I  continued  my  investigations  very  much  beyond 

1 1  am  indebted  to  Mr.  F.  H.  Meserve  of  New  York  for  photostat 
reproductions  of  these  articles;  but  as  my  own  letters  from  Mr.  Knotts 
are  much  more  complete,  I  use  those  instead  of  the  articles  in  The  State. 

113 


114    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

what  was  reported  in  the  four  articles  in  The  State.  I  ex 
amined  by  mail  through  clerks  in  the  office  of  lands  and  wills 
in  about  44  counties  in  about  nine  states,  Illinois  included.  I 
found  the  Illinois  and  Indiana  clerks  very  careful  and  prompt 
and  exceedingly  attentive.  Some  of  the  Virginia,  North  Caro 
lina  and  Kentucky  clerks  were  slow  and  indifferent.  Most  of 
the  clerks  were  very  communicative  as  to  conveyances  and 
wills.  I  always  sent  $1.00  as  a  spy-out,  to  see  if  there  was 
anything  of  value;  if  so,  I  would  send  more  and  ask  more;  and 
that  would  furnish  ground  for  more  talk.  In  all  I  spent 
several  hundred  dollars. 

The  great  war  broke  into  my  plan  for  a  full  pamphlet.  I 
wrote  an  article  of  about  four  columns,  and  another  of  about 
4  or  5  more  for  the  paper,  but  the  war  occupied  so  much 
space  they  could  not  publish  the  contributions  now. 

Mr.  John  P.  Arthur  of  North  Carolina  wrote  a  history 
of  Western  North  Carolina  about  four  years  ago  and  gave 
space  to  about  twenty  pages  as  to  my  views  and  endorsed  them 
fully.  He  had  previously  written  some  in  a  North  Carolina 
paper  claiming  Abraham  Enloe,  a  man  near  his  home  in 
North  Carolina.  A  book  had  been  written  by  Cathey  of  the 
same  county  as  Enloe,  who  knew  all  the  Enloe  descendants 
and  they  all  claim  that,  too. 

A  daughter  of  this  Enloe,  then  quite  old  (she  made  her 
statement  twenty-five  years  ago)  stated  that  when  she  was 
8  or  10  years  old  she  could  well  remember  a  young  Nancy 
Hanks  and  child  in  her  father's  home;  and  that  an  old  negro 
woman  that  had  belonged  to  this  family  would  swear  (she 
was  nearly  grown  at  the  time)  "  that  there  was  a  young  lady 
by  the  name  of  Hanks  and  baby  in  her  master's  home,  and 
caused  Old  Mis'  much  trouble."  From  this  they  fully  be 
lieved  it  when  told  that  this  girl  was  taken  across  into  Ten 
nessee.  Their  efforts  failed  to  get  any  refuge  for  this  Nancy 
Hanks  how  she  got  there,  and  finally  resolved  she  was  a  hired 
girl  in  the  Enloe  home  and  came  to  this  end.  Enloe's  eldest 
daughter,  also  a  Nancy,  carried  her  across  into  Tennessee, 
where  she  (Nancy  Enloe)  had  married,  and  thus  they  pro 
vided  this  escape  for  this  poor  deceived  girl.  Nancy  Enloe 
married  John  Thompson,  recorded  as  owning  land  in  Carter 
County,  Tennessee.  In  1809  she  sold  out,  and  with  the  En- 
loes  moved  west. 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  115 

My  own  research  is  from  Amelia  County,  Virginia,  where 
William  Hanks  came  from  the  Rappahannock  country  and 
raised  a  family  of  twelve  children,  and  hence  the  great  exodus 
of  this  family  almost  everywhere. 

One  of  the  girls  married  Abraham  Lincoln's  father, 
Thomas  Lincoln,  and  moved  to  Kentucky.1  Then  Joseph 
settled  in  Nelson  County,  Kentucky.  Two  of  the  girls  married 
Berrys  and  settled  in  Washington  County,  and  also  a  single 
sister,  Lucy,  came  to  Washington  County  with  them. 

Now  remember  Lucy;  she  cuts  a  big  figure  in  this  play. 

Luke,  the  youngest  boy,  James  and  John  came  to  South 
Carolina.  James  and  John  shortly  went  on  to  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee.  Luke  left  a  will  which  I  found  after  hard  search 
ing  giving  210  acres  of  land  and  all  other  property  to  his 
wife,  A'nn.  Joseph  in  Kentucky  died,  leaving  will  and  one 
horse  to  each  of  five  boys  and  a  heifer  to  each  of  three  girls — 
eight  children.  Nancy,  the  youngest,  got  a  heifer  named 
"  Pied."  Nancy  gave  birth  to  Dennis  Hanks,  and  then  mar 
ried.  Here  is  the  firm  hold  of  Mrs.  Hitchcock  and  Henry 
Watterson  for  Lincoln's  mother. 

I  fortunately  got  hold  of  Mary  Ellen  Hanks,  who  mar 
ried  a  Manon,  and  now  lives  in  California.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  John  Hanks,  Lincoln's  associate,  rail-splitter  in  Illinois, 
and  grandson  of  Joseph  and  nephew  of  Nancy.  Mrs.  Manon 
writes  fully  and  freely  about  matters.  She  says  she  was 
about  1 8  years  old  when  Abraham  was  nominated;  was  in 
Springfield  at  the  time;  knew  him,  and  also  Dennis,  who 
was  her  father's  cousin.  Lucy  Hanks,  of  Washington  County, 
was  mother  of  Nancy,  and  then  married  Thomas  Sparrow. 
Lucy  was  Thomas  Lincoln's  aunt,  and  one  of  four  sisters 
in  the  county  near  Springfield,  Kentucky  (two  Berrys  and 
Mrs.  Sparrow  and  Lucy).  Thomas  and  Nancy  had  one 
child,  Sarah,  and  their  friends  after  Nancy's  death  tried  to 
fix  the  records  to  date  back  the  marriage,  and  failed  signally. 
Richard  Berry  signs  as  Nancy's  guardian  the  marriage  bond 
of  Thomas  Lincoln  and  marries  Thomas,  and  then  Jesse 
Head  poses  as  a  Methodist  minister  and  returns  for  mar 
riage  eighteen  certificates 2  alleged  to  have  been  performed 

1  This  paragraph  stands  as  Mr.  Knotts  wrote  it  and  as  it  was  ap 
proved  by  him  in  the  revision,  but  I  think  he  did  not  intend  to  say 
this  exactly  as  it  is  said. — W.  E.  B. 

1  The  number  is  sixteen. — W.  E.  B. 


116    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

by  him  in  about  two  years.  The  law  requires  an  order  from 
the  clerk  of  the  court  before  the  issue  of  the  bond  or  the 
performance  of  the  marriage ;  these  forgers  were  really  ignor 
ant  of  the  law's  requirements. 

I  wrote  the  great  Methodist  publishing  house  of  Louis 
ville  to  inquire  if  there  was  any  Methodist  minister  of  the 
name  of  Jesse  Head  in  Kentucky  from  1800  to  1820.  They 
replied  that  they  had  no  such  man  on  their  record,  but  that 
Dr.  Gross  Alexander,  of  Nashville,  Editor  of  the  Methodist 
Review,  had  all  records  and  could  answer  fully.  I  appealed 
to  him  in  the  same  words,  without  giving  reasons,  if  any 
Jesse  Head  was  a  Methodist  minister  in  Kentucky  from 
1800  to  1820.  He  answered  emphatically,  "  No." 

The  clerk  in  Springfield,  Kentucky,  would  answer  no  let 
ter  or  give  any  information.  I  tried  three  lawyers  and  asked 
them  to  search  the  records  and  neither  of  them  would  an 
swer.  I  hired  a  lady  expert  from  Nelson  County  who  had 
done  my  work  there.  She  reported  fully  the  bad  condition 
of  office,  and  said  the  clerk  said  he  was  a  Democrat  and 
he  could  not  afford  to  hurt  the  feelings  of  Lincoln's  friends; 
that  the  vote  was  too  close.  She  gave  inventories  of  the  Lin- 
coins'  and  Berrys'  estates  (all  good,  and  owned  several  ne 
groes). 

I  do  not  know  when  Luke's  wife  Ann  came  into  Ander 
son  County,  North  Carolina.  But  she  kept  for  several  years 
a  tavern  near  her  home  at  the  famous  cross  roads  called 
Craytonville.  In  1807  John  C.  Calhoun  passed  there  from 
his  home  and  law  office  at  Abbeville  Court  House.  It  was  21 
miles  to  the  tavern  and  20  miles  to  Pendleton,  the  next  Court 
House.  It  was  in  1807  that  John  C.  Calhoun  commenced  his 
practice  at  Abbeville,  and  in  that  year  began  his  journeys  which 
occasioned  his  visits  to  the  tavern  going  and  coming.  The 
lawyers  and  judges  were  accustomed  to  stop  at  the  tavern  for 
dinner  or  over  night.  Here  Calhoun  met  Nancy  Hanks.  She 
was  born  February  10,  1787,  and  was  just  about  twenty  years 
of  age. 

Well,  to  make  a  long  story  short,  for  it  would  take  several 
pages  to  show  the  reality  of  this  from  his  kindred  and  from 
hers,  which  I  have  beyond  question,  Abe  Enloe,  from  North 
Carolina,  was  a  horse-dealer  and  slave-trader  also.  Thomas 
Lincoln  had  come  from  his  uncle,  Isaac  Lincoln's,  home  in 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  117 

Carter  County,  Tennessee,  to  assist  Enloe  with  his  mules  and 
slaves,  and  here  Calhoun  hired  Lincoln  for  $500  to  take  this 
girl  to  the  west  with  him.  She  was  confined  on  the  way  at 
Enloe's  home,  and  several  weeks  after  crossed  through  into 
Tennessee.  Enloe  lived  in  what  is  now  Swain  County,  North 
Carolina,  on  its  western  edge  adjoining  the  mountains. 

The  Enloes  surrendered  their  claim  of  kinship  to  Lin 
coln  when  they  got  this  trail. 

In  1816  Isaac  Lincoln  died,  and  in  1816  Thomas  sold 
his  little  farm  in  Hardin  County,  Kentucky.  He  had  never 
paid  for  his  farm,  and  he  started  his  westward  trail.  Nancy, 
poor  girl,  died  in  May,  1818,  and  was  released  from  this 
unnatural  confinement  and  entered  into  rest. 

In  1834  Ann  Hanks's  estate  was  settled,  and  the  dis 
closure  shows  twelve  children,  and  one,  Nancy,  missing.  I 
have  searched  the  record  closely  and  there  are  full  returns 
of  each,  except  Nancy. 

Lincoln's  life  is  a  sad  story,  and,  he  said,  made  him  a 
fatalist.  He  was  a  truly  great  figure  in  history,  a  plain,  un 
pretending  man,  the  opposite  of  Jeff  Davis  and  Woodrow 
Wilson. 

What  Lincoln  told  his  co-partner,  Herndon,  in  1850  about 
his  lineage,  and  reported  in  his  Life  of  Lincoln,  was  obnox 
ious  to  his  many  friends,  and  they  recalled  the  entire  pub 
lication,  except  about  half  a  dozen  copies,  which  they  did 
not  get:  they  expunged  that  matter  completely  in  the  new 
edition.  W.  C.  Hinson,  of  Charlestown,  S.  C.,  who  was  a 
great  admirer  of  the  war  President,  and  a  wealthy  producer 
of  sea-island  cotton,  and  who  died  about  two  years  ago,  strug 
gled  hard  to  obtain  one  of  these  copies,  and  finally  succeeded 
in  procuring  one  for  about  $3OO.1  He  kindly  loaned  it  to 
me,  and  I  compared  it  with  the  second  edition,  which  I  own, 
and  it  certainly  is  true.  Mr.  Herndon  seemed  to  admire  his 
great  friend  truly,  and  to  be  fair,  but  told  the  entire  truth, 
good  and  bad,  as  he  saw  it. 

Jeff  Davis'  record  is  really  worse  than  Lincoln's.  Thomas 
Lincoln  and  Joe  Davis,  Jeff's  father,  were  both  very  trifling 
men.  Joe's  wife  taught  in  the  family  of  Simeon  Christie, 
and  is  said  to  have  been  a  very  intelligent  woman.  Christie 

*  If  Mr.  Hinson  paid  $300  for  a  first  edition  of  Herndon,  he  paid 
an  excessive  price.  It  can  be  had  for  $50.— W.  E.  B. 


118    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

was  a  slave  lord,  and  a  wealthy  man.  When  things  had  gone 
too  far  with  Mrs.  Davis,  Christie  gave  Joe  Davis  four  slaves 
and  some  money,  and  sent  him  off  to  Kentucky,  too.  His 
family  shifted  further  South,  and  got  more  under  slave  con 
ditions;  Thomas  Lincoln  went  North  and  got  under  abolition 
ideas.  These  two  men,  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Jefferson  Davis, 
came  to  the  front  in  the  critical  time  of  God's  providence, 
each  the  right  man.  Davis'  energy  and  independence  served 
the  negro  in  the  end,  for  it  drove  the  Confederacy  to  its  ruin; 
and  Lincoln's  capacity  to  keep  the  Union  mainmast  up  brought 
the  war  to  an  end  with  the  nation  unbroken.  I  am  a  real 
believer  in  God's  sovereignty,  and  can  see  how  He  managed 
our  Civil  War.  I  see  His  hand,  also,  in  this  last  great  war. 

Respectfully, 

D.  J.  KNOTTS. 

/ 

I  asked  Mr.  Knotts  so  many  questions  suggested  by  this 
letter,  he  responded  in  a  formal  article,  with  a  caption.  Al 
though  it  repeats  some  things  which  he  had  previously  writ 
ten,  and  states  some  things  which  appear  in  his  later  letters, 
it  deserves  to  be  printed  entire;  for  it  is  the  most  complete 
exposition  of  the  theory  of  which  Mr.  Knotts  is  the  earnest 
protagonist,  that  John  C.  Calhoun  was  the  father  of  Abraham 
Lincoln. 


THE  FATHER  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

By  D.  J.  KNOTTS 

We  have  located  the  Hanks  family,  William  and  Joseph, 
in  Nelson  County,  Kentucky,  and  the  wives  of  the  two  Berry s, 
Mrs.  Lincoln  and  Lucy,  in  Washington  County.  Abraham 
Hanks  sold  out  and  moved  West.  Thomas  and  his  sister, 
Mrs.  Draper,  remained  and  died  in  Virginia.  James  and  his 
wife,  Nancy,  and  John,  who  owned  real  estate,  are  of  record 
as  selling  out  in  Virginia.  John  is  on  record  as  being  in  two 
law  suits  by  the  court  records.  Both  these  brothers  left  Vir 
ginia.  The  Anderson  tradition  is  that  Luke,  the  youngest,  and 
his  three  older  brothers,  came  to  South  Carolina.  John  and 
James  are  especially  mentioned  as  two  of  them  and  others 
by  tradition,  name  a  George  or  a  Robert.  They  all  went  West 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  119 

and  left  Luke  in  South  Carolina.  In  his  own  sons  he  calls 
his  eldest  son,  Thomas,  for  his  oldest  brother  in  Kentucky. 
The  next  bears  his  own  name  Luke;  then  follow  John,  Robert 
and  George,  named  for  his  other  brothers.  He  calls  his  young 
est  daughter  Nancy,  the  name  of  his  brother  James'  wife. 

In  1785,  Benjamin  Harris  obtained  among  other  grants  in 
South  Carolina  one  of  two  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  land  on 
Hen  Coop  Creek  of  Rocky  River.  On  this  place  Luke  Hanks 
lived  and  made  a  will  on  May  14,  1789,  giving  to  "my  be 
loved  wife,  Ann  Hanks,"  all  his  property,  real  and  personal, 
and  appointing  her  and  "  my  friend,  John  Hanie,"  as  co- 
executors.  In  October  afterwards  it  was  properly  probated 
from  record  by  John  Ewing  Calhoun.  The  real  estate  and 
personal  property  were  appraised  in  pounds,  shillings  and 
pence,  the  farm  being  valued  at  forty-two  pounds,  or  $210, 
and  the  personal  property  at  one  hundred  pounds,  or  $500. 
It  included  one  mare  and  colt  at  $38.50;  one  bay  filley,  $20; 
two  cows  and  calves,  $18.50;  one  steer,  $7.75,  and  one  heifer, 
$5.  Among  the  items  was  one  feather  bed  and  furniture, 
$38.50;  another  feather  bed  and  furniture,  $42.  There  were 
ten  hogs  valued  at  $17.  This  place  was  then  in  Pendleton 
County  and  the  records  in  the  clerk's  office  at  Abbeville  have 
been  destroyed,  except  records  of  wills  were  saved.  I  cannot 
learn  when  or  how  Luke  Hanks  obtained  ownership. 

Nothing  more  is  of  record  until  1833,  by  which  time  An 
derson  County  was  formed.  A  suit  for  division  is  of  record 
in  the  clerk's  office  and  it  is  there  the  heirs  or  children  are 
named.  The  sons,  Thomas,  Luke,  John,  Robert  and  George, 
and  the  daughters,  Lucinda  Pruit,  Scilla  South  and  Elizabeth, 
who  had  married  the  co-executor,  John  Hanie.  He  was  a 
widower,  and  three  of  his  sons,  Stephen,  George  and  Anthony 
Hanie,  had  married  three  of  the  younger  girls,  Martha,  Susan 
and  Judith.  Anthony  had  died  and  his  widow,  Judith,  had 
married  John  Hall.  In  all  there  were  eleven  heirs  when  prop 
erly  classified,  but  most  of  them  were  dead  or  living  in  other 
States  and  the  illegal  arrangement  and  citation  made  the  pro 
cess  anullity.  Valentine  Davis  and  his  wife,  Jane,  who  was 
daughter  of  the  eldest  girl,  Elizabeth,  now  dead,  brought  a 
suit  properly  by  employing  Peter  Van  Diver,  a  competent 
lawyer,  and  he  properly  arranged  the  entire  heirship  and  noti 
fied  in  all  fifty-six  heirs  of  the  estate.  Twenty-seven  of  them 


120    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

were  beyond  the  State.  Amongst  them  appears  a  new  heir 
to  this  humble  estate,  Nancy  Hanks. 

Nancy  Hanks  and  the  other  twenty-six  heirs  who  lived 
beyond  the  State  were  legally  notified  by  a  newspaper  cita 
tion.  There  was  no  personal  property,  the  real  estate  alone 
being  advertised  and  sold. 

Mr.  Geiger,  of  the  law  firm  of  Geiger  &  Wolfe,  and  my 
self  searched  carefully  for  the  cost  and  result  of  sale  and  for 
the  receipts.  Of  these  which  we  knew  to  be  in  full,  or  the 
definite  amount  of  the  dead  ancestor,  we  discovered  by  com 
paring  with  other  receipts  of  known  percentage  of  the  estate 
that  twelve  shares  of  equal  amount  were  necessary  to  balance 
properly  the  total  and  make  possible  a  clear  sale  receipt.  This 
showed  that  they  first  tried  to  settle  with  one  share  too  few, 
and  the  appearance  of  a  Nancy  beyond  the  State  explains 
fully  the  twelfth  heir.  Myself  and  my  old  friend  and  school 
mate,  James  F.  Tribble,  and  Mr.  Geiger,  made  search  after 
ward  and  could  find  no  receipt  for  this  Nancy  Hanks,  either 
personally  or  by  proxy.  The  poor  girl  had  been  resting  in 
the  little  graveyard  on  Pigeon  Creek,  Indiana,  since  1818,  and 
it  was  1834  before  the  estate  was  finally  settled.  Of  course, 
living  members  of  the  family  knew  of  the  escape  of  Nancy; 
but  really  these  men  did  not  likely  know  the  real  trail  of  this 
exiled  South  Carolina  girl,  which  has  so  bewildered  her  biog 
raphers. 

The  mystery  remained  till  1849,  when  James  L.  Orr  was 
elected  to  Congress  and  chanced  to  meet  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  had 
previously  served  for  two  years,  but  was  not  re-elected  for  this 
Congress.  Mr.  Orr  was  afterward  Governor  of  South  Caro 
lina  and  also  judge.  He  died  in  1872  in  St.  Petersburg,  Rus 
sia,  whither  President  Grant  had  sent  him  as  Ambassador. 

Judge  Orr  had  made  physiognomy  a  special  study  in  his 
political  life.  On  meeting  with  Mr.  Lincoln  in  Washington, 
after  the  expiration  of  his  term,  possibly  as  a  lawyer  appear 
ing  before  the  Supreme  Court,  or  as  a  political  explorer  for 
the  future,  Judge  Orr  informed  him  of  his  marked  resem 
blance  to  the  Hanks  men,  in  Anderson  County,  South  Carolina. 
Mr.  Lincoln  replied,  "  We  may  be  of  kin,  as  my  mother  was 
a  Nancy  Hanks."  On  pursuing  the  matter,  Judge  Orr  noticed 
Mr.  Lincoln  quietly  but  decidedly  denied  him  the  opportunity 
of  any  further  inquiry,  and  he  so  informed  the  Hanks  men  on 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  121 

his  return.    From  them  he  got  the  truth  of  the  trouble  which 
led  to  the  flight  of  Nancy  Hanks. 

Judge  Orr's  father  had  succeeded  Ann  Hanks  as  tavern- 
keeper  at  Craytonville  about  five  miles  east  of  the  historic 
two  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  land  already  referred  to.  This 
tavern  was  at  the  famous  cross-roads,  one  leading  from  Abbe 
ville  by  Craytonville  on  to  Pendleton.  It  was  eighteen  miles 
to  Craytonville  and  twenty  miles  farther  to  Pendleton.  This 
was  a  regular  resting  place  for  the  lawyers  going  either  way. 
Here  John  C.  Calhoun,  the  young  lawyer  from  Abbeville, 
who  had  graduated  from  Yale  and  commenced  his  practice  at 
Abbeville  in  1807,  met  very  often  this  orphaned  country  girl. 

Who  was  Mrs.  Ann  Hanks  or  when  she  died  I  have  no 
information  excepting  that  contained  in  these  lists  made  in 
the  suits  and  by  the  assistance  of  Mrs.  Laura  Hanks,  who,  in 
1841,  married  Stephen  Hanks,  the  grandson  of  this  Ann 
Hanks,  and  Mrs.  Jane  Drake,  a  daughter  of  James  Emer 
son,  who  was  born  in  1821  and  raised  in  this  Hanks  settlement 
with  whom  I  had  two  interviews;  and  also  by  the  aid  of 
Matthew  E.  Hanks,  of  Gum  Log,  Arkansas,  who  left  here  in 
1846,  when  he  was  twenty-one,  with  whom  I  had  an  extended 
correspondence.  These  three  knew  mostly  all  of  these  Hanks 
heirs,  and  through  their  contact  with  these  could  tell  of  the 
others.  All  these  could  tell  me  very  decidedly  that  about  all 
members  of  the  family  whom  they  knew  who  were  members 
of  any  church  were  Baptists.  Mr.  M.  E.  Hanks  says  that  his 
father,  George,  joined  no  church,  and  he  himself  became  a 
Methodist  after  he  moved  West.  He  could  remember  when 
he  was  a  small  boy  of  their  damming  a  little  branch  on  his 
father's  place  to  provide  a  pool  for  the  baptism  of  Elizabeth, 
his  aunt  Betty.  In  later  years  the  Hanks  family  became  di 
vided  between  Baptists  and  Methodists. 

I  have  already  related  that  General  Armistead  Burt,  who 
married  a  niece  of  John  C.  Calhoun,  and  served  for  a  long 
time  in  Congress  with  Calhoun,  told  some  young  lawyers  in 
great  secrecy  and  in  the  privacy  of  his  own  home  that  young 
John  C.  Calhoun  in  his  early  life  loved  a  handsome  country 
girl  named  Nancy  Hanks,  and  when  things  came  to  the  worst 
he  hired  a  man  named  Lincoln  to  take  her  away;  and  that 
this  proved  to  be  a  very  serious  period  in  Calhoun's  young 
life. 


122    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Mrs.  Anna  L.  Byrd,  whose  first  husband  was  Dr.  W.  C. 
Brown,  of  Belton,  S.  C.,  and  who  was  younger  brother  to 
Governor  Joe  Brown,  of  Georgia,  was  before  marriage  a  Dean, 
a  highly  respected  family  of  intelligence,  moral  worth  and 
refinement.  She  was  herself  a  cultured,  refined  matron.  She 
gave  me  before  her  death  a  statement  that  in  1856  she  married 
Dr.  Brown  and  shortly  after  her  husband,  in  her  presence, 
asked  old  man  Johnny  Hanks  if  these  reports  of  Lincoln's 
being  Calhoun's  son  had  any  base  in  truth,  and  that  Mr.  Hanks 
replied  that  they  were  true,  saying  "  Nancy  was  my  father's 
sister  and  I  know  whereof  I  speak."  He  said  that  when  it 
was  known  that  Nancy  had  sinned,  she  asked  permission  to 
stay  until  she  conferred  with  her  uncle,  who  lived  as  she  said, 
as  best  I  can  remember,  in  Tennessee;  that  Calhoun  was  the 
cause  of  her  trouble  and  that  he  had  promised  to  give  her 
$500  to  take  her  away. 

Mr.  J.  B.  Lewis  also  told  me  that  he  was  for  years  secre 
tary  of  the  Masonic  Lodge  at  Anderson,  and  while  he  was 
making  out  Judge  Orr's  Masonic  credentials  to  go  to  St. 
Petersburg  as  Ambassador  in  1872,  he  talked  freely  about 
this  matter  to  his  brethren  in  the  hall,  how  he  came  to  catch 
on  to  this,  and  that  he  had  investigated  to  his  full  satisfaction. 
He  said  that  Nancy  went  from  South  Carolina  with  horse- 
traders  and  that  little  Abe  was  born  on  the  way  and  subse 
quently  went  on  to  Kentucky  after  a  few  weeks. 

I  had  a  lengthy  correspondence  with  the  Enlow  family  in 
western  North  Carolina  in  whose  charge  Nancy  was  placed 
by  her  friends  here  to  convey  her  West.  Abraham  Enlow 
lived  in  western  Buncombe  County,  in  the  part  which  is  now 
Swain  County,  on  Ocona  Lufta  River,  right  at  its  entrance 
through  the  Smoky  Mountains.  J.  J.  Enlow,  a  grandson  of 
Abraham  Enlow,  says  very  flatly  that  the  Enlows  all  know 
that  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century  a  girl  named 
Nancy  Hanks  was  in  their  grandsire's  home  with  a  little  baby, 
who  afterwards  became  the  President  of  the  Republic,  but 
they  always  considered  that  he  was  really  Abraham  Enlow's 
son.  He  told  me  these  two  facts,  that  his  father's  sister, 
Polly  Mingus,  was  at  this  time  quite  small,  but  could  relate 
the  facts,  not  being  old  enough  to  comprehend  the  situation, 
but  that  "  old  Aunt  Milly,"  who  was  nearly  a  grown  negro 
girl  at  the  time  and  raised  by  his  father,  had  told  his  father 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  123 

and  mother  (Wesley  Enloe  and  wife)  she  knew  that  young 
girl  Nancy  well  and  it  gave  old  Miss  "  a  heap  of  trouble,"  but 
Miss  Nancy,  who  had  run  away  and  married  John  Thompson, 
carried  her  off  when  she  came  back  to  see  old  Master  and 
Missis  before  she  moved  to  the  West,  and  Mr.  Enloe  says 
that  Al.  Davidson  and  others  say  that  President  Lincoln  had 
appointed  her  son  as  agent  in  the  Indian  Mission,  a  paying 
and  responsible  office,  as  a  reward  for  "  his  mother's  kind 
ness  to  my  dear  mother." 

I  was  in  Asheville,  N.  C,  two  years  ago  and  spent  a  half- 
day  in  the  clerk's  office,  and  with  Mr.  J.  S.  Styles,  a  great 
grandson  of  Abraham  Enlow.  He  frankly  admitted  that  the 
presence  of  this  girl  in  his  grandsire's  home  was  conceded 
by  all  the  family  and  that  they  all  looked  on  President  Lin 
coln  as  a  kinsman,  but  had  never  been  able  to  ascertain  how 
and  from  where  he  came.  He  said  President  Lincoln  had 
appointed  members  of  the  family  to  two  offices  in  Washing 
ton  in  1861  and  that  he  had  attempted  writing  up  the  matter 
from  this  view,  but  that  a  year  or  so  ago  his  house  had  burned 
and  had  destroyed  all  his  data  and  proof.  He  said  that  be 
yond  a  doubt  his  great-grandsire  employed  Congressman  Felix 
Walker  to  see  and  convey  this  girl  and  her  infant  son  across 
into  Tennessee;  that  there  was  no  question  concerning  Mr. 
Walker,  who  represented  the  government  in  charge  of  the 
Cherokee  Indian  interest  near  his  home.  He  placed  Nancy 
in  charge  of  a  prominent  Indian,  named  New,  who  took  charge 
of  this  girl  and  his  great  aunt,  Nancy  Thompson,  and  con 
veyed  them  through  the  Pass  in  the  mountains  into  Tennes 
see.  Mr.  Styles  was  a  middle  aged  man  and  a  successful  law 
yer  at  Asheville.  He  talks  freely  and  without  reserve  about 
this  matter.  The  records  in  Carter  County  show  that  John 
Thompson  bought  a  hundred  acres  of  land  in  1801  and  sold 
them  in  1809,  and  disappears  from  the  records.  Abraham 
Enlow  bought  several  tracts  in  Henderson  County  and  sold 
out,  and  in  1808  bought  the  home  in  Swain. 

Mr.  John  P.  Arthur,  who  wrote  the  History  of  Western 
North  Carolina  a  few  years  ago,  obtained  for  me  the  state 
ment  of  two  ladies  whom  he  said  were  reliable,  that  they 
heard  Miss  Elvira  Davidson,  who  married  the  son  of  this 
Congressman  Felix  Walker,  say  that  she  was  visiting  Mrs. 
Walker  before  marriage  and  saw  Enlow  and  Walker  in  a 


124    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

long  conversation,  and  when  Walker  came  in  he  told  Mrs. 
Walker  that  Mr.  Enlow  was  arranging  with  him  "  to  carry 
that  young  woman  and  her  baby  across  into  Tennessee  " ;  and 
that  Mrs.  Walker  replied,  "  I  do  hope  now  that  will  bring 
peace  to  Mrs.  Enlow's  home."  She  said  also  that  Enlow  and 
Walker  lived  near  each  other  and  this  Mrs.  Elvira  Walker 
died  about  forty  years  ago,  an  old  woman,  but  she  made  this 
same  statement  to  others  before  her  death.  She  was  a  sister 
of  Colonel  A.  F.  Davidson,  of  Asheville,  who  was  the  lawyer 
that  controlled  the  estate  matters  of  Abraham  Enlow  in  1844, 
about  the  time  that  Colonel  Van  Duyver  was  straightening 
up  the  Ann  Hanks  estate  in  South  Carolina.  Mr.  John  P. 
Arthur  vouches  for  the  veracity  of  these  two  ladies  who  gave 
him  this  statement. 

While  in  Asheville  two  years  ago  attending  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention,  I  searched  the  office  for  records.  The 
estate  had  been  settled  I  found  in  Heyward  County,  which 
had  been  cut  from  Buncombe  County  and  included  what  is 
now  Swain  County.  The  clerk  very  kindly  assisted  me.  We 
found  a  transcript  of  a  portion  of  the  estate  sent  up  from 
Heyward  to  arrange  with  some  heirs  who  lived  in  Buncombe 
still.  In  this  transcript  was  a  record  of  sixteen  negroes  divided 
by  the  widow,  Mrs.  Abe  Enlow,  amongst  her  children  and  one 
named  Milly  is  in  the  list  and  described  as  "  active,  hearty 
and  intelligent,  but  old."  Also  I  find  Nancy  Enloe  Thompson 
named  among  the  heirs  who  had  already  gotten  her  share  and 
that  she  was  beyond  the  State, — a  very  strong  corroboration 
of  J.  J.  Enloe's  statement.  Mr.  Enloe  is  a  son  of  Wesley 
Enloe,  who  was  born  in  1808  and  died  about  fifteen  years 
ago.  J.  J.  Enloe  says  he  is  fifty-five  years  old  and  has  talked 
this  over  with  his  father  and  mother. 

Mr.  James  H.  Cathey,  who  lives  near  the  old  Enloe  home 
in  North  Carolina,  several  years  ago  gathered  a  great  amount 
of  information  from  the  older  citizens  of  the  surroundings 
and  from  the  family.  Their  family  tradition  is  an  effort  to 
prove  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  a  son  of  Abe  Enloe,  as  he 
was  familiarly  called,  but  Cathey  cannot  account  for  the  pres 
ence  of  this  girl  there  and  furnished  suppositious  statements 
from  others  to  the  effect  that  she  was  there  as  a  servant  girl 
attending  to  the  duties  of  the  home  and  was  thereby  caught 
in  this  misfortune. 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  125 

Isaac  Lincoln  owned  several  tracts  of  land  across  in  Ten 
nessee  on  Watauga  River,  from  1787  to  1815.  This  home 
was  about  three  miles  from  Elizabethtown  and  now  holds 
the  remains  of  Isaac  Lincoln  and  Mary  Ward  Lincoln,  his 
wife.  Their  resting  place  is  nicely  marked  by  suitable  tomb 
stones.  So  Mrs.  W.  M.  Vaught  and  James  D.  Jenkins  both 
inform  me.  They  have  given  me  the  epitaphs  from  both, 
and  furnished  me  copy  of  wills  of  each  from  record.  It  is 
near  Cumberland  Gap  through  the  mountains  in  Virginia  and 
about  fifty  or  sixty  miles  from  Enloe's  home  in  North  Car 
olina. 

It  was  here  Thomas  Lincoln  had  gone  and  awaited  the 
arrival  of  this  belated  girl,  who  met  him  at  Isaac  Lincoln's 
farm.  The  details  of  her  stay  there  and  her  removal  into 
Kentucky  and  the  time  of  her  leaving  Isaac  Lincoln's  home 
and  the  length  of  her  stay  in  Kentucky  before  her  leaving  in 
1816  for  Pigeon  Creek,  Indiana,  will  ever  remain  the  mys 
tery  and  uncertainty  in  this  wonderful  tragedy  in  American 
history.  From  her  leaving  Kentucky  in  1816  till  her  death 
in  1818,  there  is  much  less  speculation,  but  only  a  few  things 
are  known  beyond  controversy  and  doubt  Much  has  been 
written  without  any  foundation  in  fact  or  reality  of  those  two 
years,  prior  to  her  death  in  1818,  with  no  minister  to  preach 
her  funeral,  until  a  Baptist  minister  named  Elkin  rode  from 
Kentucky  several  months  afterward  and  preached  it. 

This  and  Mr.  Lincoln's  statement  to  a  prominent  Baptist 
editor  that  "  What  I  may  be  worth  to  the  world  is  due  to  the 
influence  of  my  dear  Baptist  mother/'  and  what  Mr.  Hern- 
don  says  in  his  life  of  Lincoln,  that  the  influence  of  his  Bap 
tist  mother  in  his  early  life  made  Lincoln  a  fatalist  for  life 
is  about  all  the  definite  information  we  possess  as  to  her  re 
ligious  faith  and  life.  The  Hanks  family  elsewhere  than 
Luke's  family  are  pedobaptist  as  far  as  can  be  learned,  and 
Mrs.  Manon  sustains  this  statement  of  the  Kentucky  and 
Illinois  branches. 

Thomas  Lincoln  was  a  religious  cosmopolite.  He  had  no 
firm  abiding  faith  and  went  from  one  denomination  to  an 
other,  and  finally  died  a  Campbellite.  He  seems  to  have  had 
as  little  aim  in  life  as  in  his  religious  faith. 

The  statement  so  often  made  that  Thomas  Lincoln  worked 
for  years  at  Elizabethtown,  Kentucky,  with  a  Joseph  Hanks, 


126    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

a  carpenter,  who  had  brought  up  this  girl  Nancy  Hanks,  is 
all  without  any  foundation.  This  Joseph  Hanks  died  in  Nelson 
County  in  1783,  leaving  a  will.  There  is  no  record  of  his 
ever  owning  any  property  in  Hardin  County.  Mrs.  Mary 
Ellen  Manon,  daughter  of  John  Hanks,  says  the  old  Hanks 
home  was  out  on  the  falls  of  Rough  Creek,  about  fourteen 
miles  from  Bardstown,  the  county  seat  of  Nelson. 

I  have  gotten  from  Miss  Barber,  the  librarian  of  the  Car 
negie  Library  at  Atlanta,  a  true  copy  from  the  Atlanta  Con 
stitution,  made  for  me  September  5,  1915,  of  a  letter  of  Abra 
ham  Lincoln  of  April  2,  1848,  to  a  relative  of  his,  David  Lin 
coln,  of  Virginia,  in  answer  to  his  of  March  30,  inquiring 
about  the  Lincoln  family.  He  says  he  knows  but  little  of  the 
brothers  of  his  grandfather,  Abraham;  speaks  a  good  deal  of 
Mordecai,  Thomas  Lincoln's  oldest  brother,  and  can  tell  a 
good  deal  of  him  and  that  he  moved  to  Illinois,  where  he 
died.  He  says,  "  My  father  is  still  living  in  the  seventy-first 
year  of  his  age  in  Coles  County,  Illinois;  I  am  in  my  for 
tieth  year."  He  says,  "  Thomas,  my  father,  has  told  me  that 
my  grandfather  had  four  brothers,  Isaac,  Jacob,  John  and 
Thomas :  is  this  correct  ?  "  He  seems  to  know  but  little  of 
them  in  the  rest  of  the  letter,  except  of  Isaac,  of  whom  he 
says,  "  I  am  quite  sure  that  Isaac  resided  on  the  Watauga 
River  near  a  point  where  Tennessee  and  Virginia  join  and 
that  he  has  been  dead  more  than  twenty  or  perhaps  thirty 
years,  and  that  Thomas  moved  to  Kentucky,  where  he  died 
many  years  ago." 

Now  Isaac  bought  his  home  in  that  locality  in  1787  and 
Thomas  Lincoln  was  then  not  over  eleven  years  old,  but  he 
was  the  one  from  whom  Abraham  seems  to  have  gotten  all 
his  information  of  the  Lincoln  family  and  he  appears  clearly 
to  have  known  the  exact  place  of  Isaac's  residence  and  about 
when  he  died.  Thomas  Lincoln  bought  238  acres  of  land 
in  Hardin  County  in  1803  and  sold  in  1814.  He  possibly 
lived  here  till  1809  and  went  with  Enloe,  with  Kentucky  mules 
and  horses,  and  met  Nancy,  whom  he  brought  back  with  him. 
He  never  paid  for  this  place  and  may  have  lived  in  Tennes 
see  at  Isaac  Lincoln's  when  employed  by  Enloe  to  go  into 
South  Carolina.  He  moved  on  five  or  six  miles  from  this 
place  and  then  in  1816  left  for  Indiana.  He  moved  often, 
was  a  wandering  Arab.  He  and  Nancy  of  Washington 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  127 

County  could  have  commenced  life  when  he  was  twenty-one 
and  given  room  for  Sarah  to  have  married  Aaron  Grigsby 
in  1816  and  not  1826,  as  the  biographers  claim.  When  this 
Nancy  died  no  one  knows  and  where  this  Sarah  lived  while 
he  was  away  after  1809  in  Tennessee  no  one  can  tell.  Likely 
she  lived  with  her  grandmother,  Lucy  Sparrow,  or  in  the 
home  of  one  of  her  three  aunts.  Her  mother  Nancy  must 
have  died  shortly  after  1806,  or  about  that  time,  after  spend 
ing  these  years  with  Thomas  Lincoln.  In  1806  it  is  claimed 
this  forged  marriage  took  place.  It  is  very  certain  when  he 
came  off  to  South  Carolina  in  1809  he  had  made  overtures 
to  Miss  Sarah  Bush,  whom  he  afterward  married  and  brought 
to  the  situation  in  1819,  after  Nancy's  death.  That  is  why 
I  have  struggled  so  hard  with  the  clerk  of  Washington  County 
and  the  three  lawyers  to  ascertain  definitely  as  to  the  date  of 
the  marriage  and  its  record  and  why  they  all  evade. 

Mr.  James  D.  Jenkins  says  Mrs.  W.  S.  Tipton,  now  of 
Texas,  and  a  very  old  lady  and  a  near  relative,  had  written 
him  that  she  is  a  daughter  of  David  Lincoln  Stover  and  a 
great-niece  of  Mrs.  Isaac  Lincoln.  She  says  that  in  early  life 
she  had  seen  a  chimney  on  the  side  of  Lynn  Mountain  where 
once  stood  a  house,  the  foundations  of  which  are  still  visible, 
and  says  her  grandmother  told  her  that  Thomas  and  Nancy 
Lincoln  once  lived  in  that  house  and  that  they  were  very 
poor  people.  This  was  on  the  farm  of  his  uncle,  Isaac  Lin 
coln. 

Mrs.  Tipton's  grandfather  went  and  lived  with  Isaac  Lin 
coln  and  his  wife  after  they  lost  their  only  son  and  child  by 
drowning.  Her  relatives  became  the  heirs  by  the  will  of  Mrs. 
Isaac  Lincoln  at  her  death  in  1834.  She  relates  that  it  was 
said  Thomas  Lincoln  was  a  very  lazy,  thriftless  man  and  his 
uncle  could  not  improve  him.  Her  estate  in  1815  possessed 
about  thirty-eight  negroes. 

We  have  read  much  of  Nancy  Lincoln's  bright  intelli 
gence  and  of  her  capacity  to  teach  little  Abe  and  Sarah,  but 
the  records  show  that  the  only  place  where  her  signature 
occurs  is  to  a  deed  in  Kentucky,  where  she  joins  Thomas  Lin 
coln  in  the  sale  of  the  farm,  and  she  signs  with  a  cross  mark. 
Her  father,  in  1789,  in  the  certified  copy  of  his  will,  also 
signs  with  a  cross  mark,  and  Joseph  Hanks  in  Nelson  County 
in  his  will  in  1783  signed  with  a  cross  mark.  But  illiterate 


128    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

as  she  seems  to  have  been  she  left  an  ineffaceable  impression 
on  the  mind  of  her  distinguished  son;  and  has  left  the  im 
pression  so  far  as  collectable  of  being  a  woman  of  good,  hard 
sense.  But  she  is  justly  accused  of  brooding  over  a  sad  sit 
uation  too  hard  and  too  severe  for  endurance. 

On  Pigeon  Creek,  Indiana,  the  admirers  of  her  son  have 
erected  a  nice  monument  to  her  memory;  but  the  life  of  her 
son  and  its  results  will  ever  be  the  greatest  crown  to  that 
mother  of  whom  he  always  spoke  with  a  respect  and  rever 
ence  nigh  akin  to  adoration. 

He  was  a  child  of  destiny,  if  ever  such  a  one  existed. 
He  had  the  peculiar  traits  to  fit  him  for  his  arduous,  irksome 
task,  and  no  public  servant  in  American  history  ever  more 
earnestly  or  more  unselfishly  devoted  himself  to  his  task.  Not 
till  General  Garfield  could  telegraph,  "  President  Lincoln  is 
killed,  but,  blessed  be  God,  the  Republic  lives,"  did  his  eventful 
life  come  to  its  end  and  he  to  rest  from  his  labors. 

He  was  a  man  elevated  from  the  common  people,  but  it 
never  misled  him.  Though  sorely  tried  he  was  never  cast 
down;  though  awfully  beset  by  trials  he  never  gave  up,  but 
met  his  duty  with  reverent  energy. 

After  1832  John  C.  Calhoun  made  slavery  and  not  the 
tariff  the  real  issue  and  his  letters  to  distinguished  Southern 
men  showed  that  we  could  not  unite  the  Southern  people  on 
the  tariff,  but  that  the  slavery  question  must  be  pressed  as  the 
vital  issue  and  the  tariff  and  others  as  secondary  or  subsidiary. 
For  twenty  years  this  distinguished  Carolinian  was  forging  the 
issue  which  really  brought  on  the  collision  of  1860  and  be 
came  the  chief  factor  and  agency  in  the  slave-lord  dynasty  in 
urging  the  crisis  for  which  the  hard  life  and  early  labors  of 
his  own  son  carried  by  fortune  to  the  atmosphere  of  a  dif 
ferent  political  region  prepared  him  to  be  the  Union's  great 
friend.  Thus  it  was  that  the  influence  of  the  father's  life  was 
largely  nullified  by  that  of  his  distinguished  son. 

When  his  part  in  the  nation's  great  drama  had  been  played 
and  his  performance  came  to  its  eventful  end  the  admiration 
of  friends  and  those  who  were  once  his  foes  now  vie  with 
each  other  in  doing  reverence  to  his  memory.  Before  his 
nomination  in  1860  he  became  fully  convinced  of  his  lineage 
and  nativity. 

Mr.  Herndon,  his  law  partner,  says  he  knows  of  many 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  129 

an  occasion  of  his  receiving  letters  from  his  old  reputed  home 
asking  about  his  life  and  those  rumors  of  his  legitimacy  and 
that  he  always  destroyed  and  never  answered  them.  Hern- 
don  says  that  these  rumors  became  so  common  and  scandalous 
that  Mr.  Lincoln  received  only  six  votes  from  La  Rue  County, 
which  furnished  500  soldiers  for  the  Union  Army.  La  Rue 
was  cut  from  Hardin  in  1840  and  is  a  small  county.  I  have 
tried  hard  to  get  the  vote  that  John  C.  Breckenridge  and 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  received  for  the  Presidency  at  the  same 
election,  but  the  records  there  do  not  furnish  me  the  informa 
tion.  I  tried  Mr.  Lever,  Congressman,  to  try  at  Washington, 
D.  C.,  for  them  and  he  states  that  he  cannot  get  the  informa 
tion  for  me  there  and  that  he  tried  through  the  Congressman 
from  that  district  in  Kentucky  to  procure  them.  After  some 
effort  he  reported  to  Mr.  Lever  that  the  records  were  destroyed 
or  lost  and  he  could  not  get  the  vote  of  the  three  men  for 
the  Presidency  in  La  Rue  County  in  1860. 

Slavery,  once  a  blessing,  had  come  to  be  a  severe  curse.  It 
was  a  blessing  to  the  negro  savage  who  was  taken  from  his 
haunts  of  brutality  and  idolatry  and  placed  amongst  the  most 
advanced  state  of  Christian  civilization  in  the  world.  He 
became  Christianized  and  worth  far  more  to  himself  and  his 
race  than  if  he  had  been  left  alone  in  his  stolid  heathenism 
in  Africa.  In  his  new  home  he  became  a  wonderful  factor  in 
our  national  development,  in  spite  of  all  that  has  been  said 
and  is  being  said  against  the  negro  by  Southern  politicians. 
In  his  case  the  missionary  custom  was  reversed,  and  by  the 
cupidity  and  selfishness  of  his  white  master,  North  and  South, 
the  heathen  was  brought  to  the  Gospel.  Great  interest  was 
taken  in  the  moral  and  spiritual  condition  of  the  slave  by  the 
American  master.  The  white  man  believed  it  would  redound 
to  the  comfort  and  elevation  of  the  slave;  but  they  forbade 
his  educational  advancement  because  they  believed  it  would 
destroy  the  good  of  his  moral  elevation  and  endanger  his  use 
fulness  as  a  servant,  and  even  imperil  his  ownership  and  con 
tinued  servitude.  Not  many  men  who  would  invest  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  dollars  in  the  slave  trade  would  pay  a  single 
cent  to  send  the  Gospel  to  the  Africans  at  home.  Our  selfish 
aims  and  intentions  were  controlled  by  God  to  very  beneficent 
ends  and  splendid  results.  And  while  it  occupied  the  time 
of  our  national  Legislature  for  a  long  time,  and  while  many 


130    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

men,  North  and  South,  were  debating  the  slave  question  and 
slave  rights,  and  Abolition,  like  all  great  issues,  had  to  have 
an  igniting  to  bring  it  forth.  The  papers  and  periodicals  did 
much  to  this  end,  but  when  the  time  was  ripe  for  the  change, 
"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin "  set  the  magazine  on  fire  and  our 
Civil  War  and  its  terrors  were  required  to  relieve  the  situa 
tion  and  bring  a  lasting  quietus  to  this  country.  Wars  are 
the  greatest  civilizers  and  reformers  in  the  world.  The  four 
years'  war  did  more  to  change  and  advance  the  American  sit 
uation  and  political  life  than  fifty  years  of  campaigning  and 
political  speech-making  and  Congressional  disputations  could 
have  done,  and  it  was  more  perfectly  enacted.  The  peculiar 
traits  and  superiority  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  are  his  capacity  to 
revolutionize  and  make  changes  slowly  without  bloodshed; 
but  the  time  had  come  in  his  progress  when  that  method  was 
too  slow  and  God  had  to  use  a  speedier  means  of  change  to 
meet  these  emergencies.  God's  forecast  is  always  equal  to 
the  emergency. 

The  situation  proved,  all  told,  the  greatest  Protestant  mis 
sionary  effort  of  the  world  and  he  is  the  most  completely 
Protestant  of  any  race  of  men  on  earth,  and  in  the  South  the 
Catholic  efforts  to  catch  him  are  a  dismal  failure, — even  in 
New  Orleans  the  Catholic  negroes  are  not  a  corporal's  guard. 
In  1860  one  defense  the  Confederacy  and  propagators  urged 
against  Abolition  was  that  the  Catholic  would  catch  him  and 
teach  him  superstition  and  ruin  him,  and  a  second  was  the 
free  negro  would  be  lazy  and  produce  no  cotton  and  our 
chief  industry  would  be  destroyed,  but  the  free  negro  has 
glutted  the  markets  of  the  world  and  as  a  citizen  has  in 
war  met  every  duty  and  as  a  soldier  in  Europe  equally  with 
his  former  masters  successfully  met  the  German — a  failure 
of  prophecy  complete. 

Mr.  Knotts  wrote  in  pencil,  and  in  some  places  his  manu 
script  was  not  easy  to  read.  I  caused  it  to  be  copied  as  it 
was  received,  and  sent  each  of  the  longer  letters,  and  all  of 
whose  reading  there  was  any  doubt,  to  him  for  revision.  He 
often  made  additions  and  wrote  postscripts,  sometimes  as  long 
as  the  original  communication,  and  frequently  of  as  great 
interest.  His  revision  of  the  foregoing  brought  back  with 
it  this  addition : 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  181 

LETTER  OF  D.  J.   KNOTTS 

SWANSEA,  S.  C.,  Aug.  30,  1919. 
DR.  BARTON: 

DEAR  SIR — Yours  of  28th,  inclosing  typewritten  copies  of 
my  letter  at  hand,  and  I  am  glad  to  make  very  important 
changes.  I  write,  as  you  see,  a  bad  hand,  and  in  a  hurry,  and 
sometimes  omit  to  express  things  fully. 

John  Hanks'  daughter  was  Mrs.  Mary  Ellen  Manon,  and 
lives  in  California.  She  wrote  me  a  dozen  letters,  I  suspect, 
from  first  to  last,  on  various  features  of  the  situation,  trying 
to  get  at  what  I  wanted.  About  two  years  ago  or  so  she  had 
been  in  hospital,  but  was  then  at  home,  and  was  thought  bet 
ter,  from  an  operation.  Her  husband  answered  that.  If  she 
is  dead,  she  had  a  cousin,  Mrs.  Jordan,  living  in  same  town 
who  was  Hanks  who  frequently  united  with  her  on  some 
statement  about  which  she  was  not  certain.  You  may  get 
yet  one  of  the  three. 

I  have  no  copies  of  the  State  paper,  and  the  Editor  says  he 
has  none  and  has  had  several  pleas  for  copies. 

I  will  give  also  statement  of  Mrs.  W.  M.  Vaught,  a  great- 
niece  of  Mary  Lincoln,  Isaac's  wife,  of  what  her  great  aunt 
and  others  have  told  her  of  Thomas  Lincoln's  home  on  Isaac's 
farm.  She  says  Thomas  and  Nancy  lived  on  side  of  Lynn 
mountain,  and  that  the  old  rock  foundations  of  the  house 
still  are  there  on  Isaac's  old  farm. 

Mr.  John  Arthur  lived  in  a  little  town  near  Asheville.  His 
book  was  published  by  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revo 
lution  or  Confederacy.  He  died  last  year. 

I  don't  object  to  your  quoting  me  at  all,  as  I  am  fully 
convinced  these  facts  are  true. 

I  am  busy  for  a  day  or  two,  but  next  week  will  answer 
you  more  fully  as  to  your  inquiries,  especially  as  to  the  local 
information. 

One  from  the  husband  of  the  niece  of  John  C.  Calhoun, 
and  was  in  Congress  with  him  many  years  (in  the  lower 
house)  and  a  great  lawyer,  who  died  since  the  war.  In  1866 
he  told  some  young  law  students  of  this  affair  in  great  secrecy 
in  his  home  and  sitting  room,  which  I  got  accidentally.  I 
wrote  one  of  them  and  he  declined,  but  owned  my  informa 
tion  was  true,  but  refused  to  be  quoted.  I  told  Mr.  Arthur 


132     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

of  this,  and  he  said  he  and  this  man  went  to  law  school  to 
gether,  and  he  was  a  personal  friend  and  he  would  make  him 
tell.  Mr.  Arthur  states  these  facts  in  his  book,  but  said  his 
friend  was  a  strong  friend  of  the  Calhouns  and  he  did  not 
care  to  offend  them. 

I  have  also  a  statement  of  John  Hanks,  a  nephew  of 
Nancy  (son  of  Luke,  her  brother)  to  Dr.  Brown,  his  fam 
ily  physician,  brother  of  Governor  Joe  Brown,  of  Georgia,  in 
presence  of  his  (Brown's  wife),  who  died  four  or  five  years 
ago.  She  was  very  old  and  feeble  and  her  daughter  and  eldest 
child,  Mrs.  A.  C.  Latimer,  the  widow  of  Hon.  A.  C  Latimer, 
a  U.  S.  Senator  from  South  Carolina,  who  died  about  ten 
years  ago.  Also  statement  of  Mr.  Lewis,  secretary  of  Ma 
sonic  Lodge  in  1872,  of  what  Judge  Orr  said  to  his  Masonic 
brethren  while  he  (Lewis)  was  making  out  Orr's  Masonic 
credentials  to  go  to  St.  Petersburg  when  President  Grant  had 
appointed  him  as  Minister.  Judge  Orr  was  a  lawyer  at  the 
county  seat,  and  knew  all  the  older  Hanks  men.  His  father 
succeeded  Ann  Hanks  as  tavern-keeper  at  Craytonville.  He 
was  Congressman  from  South  Carolina,  and  Speaker  of  the 
House  before  the  war.  He  saw  Lincoln  in  Washington  and 
told  him  of  his  resemblance  to  the  Hanks  family  and  Lincoln 
said,  "Very  likely  of  kin;  my  mother  was  a  Nancy  Hanks." 
But  when  pushed  Judge  Orr  said  he  retired  into  silence  and 
he  could  not  venture  further.  Judge  Orr  told  it  to  Luke 
Hanks,  Nancy's  brother,  and  learned  the  real  facts  of  the 
fate  of  his  sister  Nancy,  "  and,  poor  girl,  we  don't  know  what 
finally  became  of  her,"  said  Luke. 

I  will  give  you  this  and  other  soon. 
Respectfully, 

D.  J.  KNOTTS. 


Mr.  Knotts  made  plain  in  this  extended  correspondence 
that  he  was  an  admirer  of  Lincoln,  and  a  firm  believer  in  the 
soundness  of  his  policies.  Though  the  son  of  a  slave-holder, 
he  looked  back  upon  slavery  with  profound  disapproval,  and 
he  is  in  politics  a  Republican,  and,  as  it  appeared,  an  opponent 
of  the  policies  of  President  Wilson.  Indeed,  his  interest  in 
current  political  questions  as  expressed  in  some  of  these  letters, 
almost  overshadowed  that  in  their  main  theme.  Most  of  these 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  133 

discussions  of  current  politics  I  have  omitted,  but  here  and 
there  have  permitted  some  of  the  briefer  allusions  to 
remain : 

LETTER  OF  D.  J.  KNOTTS 

(September  i,   1919.) 

The  Hanks  home  was  about  eight  or  nine  miles  from 
Bolton,  South  Carolina,  where  Dr.  W.  C.  Brown,  a  young 
physician,  settled,  and  in  1856  was  married  to  Miss  Anna 
Dean,  an  intelligent,  cultured  Christian  young  lady,  of  one  of 
the  standard  well-bred  families  of  the  county.  Dr.  Brown  was 
a  younger  brother  of  Governor  Joe  Brown,  later  a  U.  S. 
Senator. 

Judge  Orr  was  from  that  county,  and  had  met  Lincoln  in 
Washington,  and  noticed  his  likeness  to  Luke  Hanks  and  others 
of  the  family,  and  attempted  to  discuss  the  matter  with  Lincoln. 
Lincoln  would  only  say  that  his  mother  was  Nancy  Hanks,  and 
then  retired  into  his  shell,  and  Congressman  Orr  desisted.  He 
pursued  the  matter  further  at  home,  however,  and  his  investi 
gation  disclosed  the  fact  that  the  slave  debater  with  Douglas 
was  the  son  of  an  Anderson  County  girl,  some  of  whose 
brothers  and  sisters  were  still  living,  and  furnished  the  data 
to  this  congressman,  Orr.  This  spread  all  around,  and  Mrs. 
Byrd,  Mrs.  Brown's  niece,  told  where  she  learned  of  what  she 
knew.  I  asked  her  daughter,  Mrs.  A.  C.  Latimer,  widow  of  a 
South  Carolina  senator,  A.  C.  Latimer,  then  recently  deceased, 
to  get  her  statement.  She  was  very  feeble,  and  in  declining 
health.  She,  in  substance,  said : 

"  In  1856  I  married  Dr.  W.  C.  Brown  of  Bolton.  Very 
shortly  after  my  removal  to  my  new  home,  '  Uncle  Johnny 
Hanks/  a  patron,  came  to  Dr.  Brown  for  medicine  for  some 
of  his  family.  Dr.  Brown  in  my  presence  asked  him,  was 
there  any  good  ground  for  all  this  talk  about  Lincoln  and  Cal- 
houn  ?  The  old  gentleman  replied  very  decidedly,  *  I  am  sorry 
to  tell  you,  Doctor,  that  there  is.  Nancy  was  my  father's 
youngest  sister  and  I  know  whereof  I  am  talking.  When  the 
family  found  out  that  Nancy  had  sinned  and  gone  astray,  she 
asked  to  be  allowed  to  stay  till  she  could  get  away  to  her  uncle's, 
as  best  I  remember,  in  Tejmessee;  that  Calhoun  had  promised 
her  $500  to  take  her  away  where  it  would  not  hurt  him.  This 


134    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

uncle  was  a  John  Hanks,  who  came  here  with  her  father,  and 
had  moved  out  to  Tennessee.  Just  at  this  time  Thomas  Lincoln 
appeared,  with  Enloe,  as  helper  with  horses,  and  solved  the 
trouble.  He  became  scapegoat  for  Calhoun's  sins/  ' 

Mrs.  Brown  said  that  Mr.  Hanks  stood  well  as  a  reliable, 
truthful  man.  Hanks  further  said  that  young  Calhoun  often 
stopped  as  he  passed  through,  and  fished  and  hunted  with 
the  Hanks  boys. 

In  1849,  James  L.  Orr  was  elected  to  Congress.  Anderson 
was  his  home.  The  Hanks  home  was  about  eleven  miles 
south  of  the  County  Seat.  Orr  knew  all  the  Hanks  men  and 
girls  and  their  husbands.  Luke,  the  older  brother,  was  a 
"  court  crier  "  for  years,  and  Orr  was  a  lawyer,  and  became 
Speaker  of  the  National  House  of  Representatives,  before  the 
War.  He  was  afterwards  Governor  of  South  Carolina  and 
Judge.  In  1870,  President  Grant  appointed  him  minister  to 
Russia,  and  there  he  died  in  1872.  He  was  a  great  figure  in 
Masonry.  While  the  clerk  of  his  lodge  was  making  out  his 
credentials  to  carry  with  him,  he  was  talking  freely  of  this 
tragedy,  and  comparing  Lincoln's  and  Calhoun's  portraits  and 
discussing  their  likenesses.  Mr.  Lewis,  the  clerk,  told  me  and 
wrote  me  of  this  matter  very  frankly,  and  told  me  what  he  had 
heard  old  men  then  dead,  relate  of  the  matter.  Lewis  said  he 
was  busy,  but  could  remember  a  good  deal  of  what  Judge  Orr 
said  to  his  brother  Masons  in  the  hall.  Orr  related  the  meet 
ing  with  Lincoln  and  its  results,  and  he  had  traced  the  matter 
through  the  Hanks  family,  and  was  fully  convinced  that  there 
could  be  no  mistake  about  it  whatever.  Luke  Hanks  had  two 
sons,  Thomas  and  James;  and  Mr.  Lewis  and  other  Anderson 
men  say  they  were  living  portraits  of  President  Lincoln.  The 
mole,  so  prominent  on  Mr.  Lincoln's  right  cheek,  had  its 
counterpart  in  many  of  the  older  Hanks  men.  Monroe  Hanks, 
who  is  now  doing  business  in  Anderson,  on  side  view  is  a 
splendid  profile  of  the  President.  He  promised  me  a  side- 
view  portrait  for  publication,  but  has  not  done  so.  He  drove 
me  around  and  assisted  me  much  in  getting  a  mass  of  lineage 
and  history  too  large  for  this  letter.  I  went  to  the  old  burying 
lot  of  long  ago.  There  are  about  35  or  40  graves  in  it,  all 
of  the  Hanks  family.  After  about  1845  they  removed  their 
burying  place  to  Ebenezer,  a  Methodist  Church  some  two  and 
one  half  miles  from  the  old  home. 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  135 

In  the  southeast  corner  of  the  plat  is  the  lonely  resting 
place  of  Luke  and  Ann  Hanks.  Around  this  little  grave  plat 
in  1789,  in  May,  trod  a  little  country  girl  three  years  and  three 
or  four  months  old,  whose  wanderings  have  baffled  the  skill 
of  historians  and  biographers  alike,  but  the  path  and  highway 
trodden  by  her  distinguished  son  are  in  reach  of  every  grate 
ful  American. 

You  may  think  it  strange,  but  Lincoln  has  more  and  truer 
admirers  here  in  this  Southern  country  now  than  has  either 
Jefferson  Davis  or  John  C.  Calhoun. 

I  am  the  son  of  a  slave  lord  and  land  baron  in  1860,  and 
who  was  a  sincere  and  outspoken  secessionist,  and  have  no 
natural  antipathy  for  the  cause.  But  we  see  now  that  ruin 
would  have  resulted  from  Confederate  success.  I  am  a  firm 
believer  in  God's  sovereignty  and  control  in  national  affairs. 
I  feel  confident  the  world's  history  shows  that,  but  the  rage 
now  in  the  last  war  now  seems  to  assume  that  man  power  and 
money  can  do  anything.  God's  control  seems  but  little  recog 
nized.  In  our  Confederate  cause  it  took  draining,  loss  and 
drainage,  to  bring  General  Lee  to  Appomattox  and  the  South  to 
a  real  true  conquest. 

General  Armistead  Burt  was  a  lawyer  of  great  celebrity  in 
upper  South  Carolina  in  1860,  and  before  the  war.  He  mar 
ried  Calhoun's  niece.  He  and  his  wife  had  considerable  slave 
property.  He  greatly  admired  Calhoun  as  a  man  and  his  ideas 
of  government.  Just  after  the  Civil  War,  under  protection 
of  coverture  of  his  own  home  he  confided  in  secrecy  that  in 
his  early  life  Calhoun  fell  in  love  with  a  handsome,  poor  coun 
try  girl,  named  Nancy  Hanks.  When  things  came  to  the 
worst  he  hired  a  man  named  Lincoln  to  carry  her  away.  He 
never  intimated  to  them  where  Lincoln  was  from  or  how  he 
got  possession  of  this  poor  girl,  or  whatever  became  of  her. 
He  lived  in  the  town  when  Calhoun  commenced  the  practice 
of  law,  and  near  here  lived  others  of  the  Calhoun  line.  They 
were  well  to  do  in  slave  property.  John  C.  Calhoun  became 
near  the  same  time  the  father  of  an  illegitimate  child,  who 
became  during  the  war  and  after  one  of  South  Carolina's 
brightest  stars  in  the  legal  fraternity.  A  brother  of  John  C. 
Calhoun  (older)  became  father  of  a  boy  by  a  girl  in  a  very 
poor,  common  family  in  Abbeville  (his  county)  and  educated 
him,  and  gave  him  a  start.  He  became  a  rampant  secession- 


136    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

ist  in  South  Carolina  and  in  Washington,  was  Governor, 
and  then  a  national  figure.  He  was  George  McDuffy. 

It  was  in  this  General  Burt's  house  that  Jeff  Davis  spent 
his  last  night  in  South  Carolina.  In  his  house  the  Confed 
erate  Cabinet  had  its  last  sitting  at  night,  and  used  the  Great 
Seal  of  the  Confederate  Government  for  the  last  time,  and 
no  one  can  trace  the  seal  from  there.  In  his  house  General 
John  C.  Breckenridge  began  to  dismiss  the  Southern  Army 
from  service  by  giving  discharges  to  soldiers.  He  had  two 
brigades  with  him,  and  he  asked  each  general  if  his  men 
could  be  relied  on  as  a  nucleus  for  a  new  army,  and  each 
replied :  "  No,  their  men  were  going  home."  He  burst  into 
tears  and  said  he  had  done  the  best  he  could  with  his  charge, 
and  his  mistakes,  if  any,  were  of  the  head  and  not  the  heart. 

Mrs.  Fanny  Marshall,  of  this  town,  told  me  she  was  in 
this  home  that  night  to  try  and  interest  and  care  for  this 
honorable  body.  She  was  a  Calhoun,  and  second  cousin  of 
John  C.  Calhoun;  and  told  me  a  great  deal  more  of  the  inner 
life  of  the  Calhouns — a  very  intelligent  woman.  She  owned 
the  land  and  house  a  few  blocks  from  this,  where  the  public 
meeting  was  held  in  1860  to  call  a  secession  convention. 
Here  were  quite  a  number  of  distinguished  South  Carolinians, 
and  around  here  was  a  good  deal  of  slave-land  aristocracy. 
With  them  it  became  very  common  for  close  kin  to  marry, 
"  to  keep  the  negroes  in  the  family."  That  was  getting  to 
be  one  of  the  slavery  curses,  and  also  that  of  masters  having 
slave  wives,  and  in  so  many  cases  becoming  common,  of 
their  sons  having  concubines  among  the  better  looking  negro 
girls  and  then  remaining  single  otherwise. 

I  spent  two  days  there  in  Calhoun's  home  town  looking 
up  records.  It  was  here  I  found  Luke  Hanks'  will,  dated 
May  3»  I7%9>  and  signed  by  making  his  mark.  Joseph  Hanks, 
in  Nelson  County,  Kentucky,  in  1783  (a  brother)  also  made 
his  mark.  In  1816  in  Hardin  County,  when  Thomas  Lin 
coln  sold  out,  his  wife,  Nancy,  signed  with  him,  and  made 
her  mark.  This  was  two  years  before  the  poor  girl  died. 

After  the  death  of  the  Nancy  of  Washington  County, 
Thomas  Lincoln  courted  and  was  engaged  to  a  Miss  Sarah 
Bush,  of  Hardin  County,  and  so  matters  stood  when  he  went 
with  Abe  Enloe  to  South  Carolina  to  assist  with  his  drove 
of  Kentucky  mules.  This  left  Sally  Bush  destitute :  but  she 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  137 

married  a  Johnston,  and  when  Nancy  died  this  Sally  Bush, 
or  Mrs.  Johnston,  was  a  widow  with  some  children.  Then 
Thomas  Lincoln  came  back  and  married  her.  She  was  alive 
after  the  war  when  Mr.  Herndon  made  such  a  failure  in 
trying  to  get  any  information  about  Nancy,  and  says  she 
would  become  angry  and  positively  refuse  to  answer  any  in 
quiry  about  this  poor,  ill-fated  girl.* 

The  Hanks  family,  in  all  the  records  of  marriage,  etc., 
seems  to  have  been  Pedo-Baptist  in  faith,  except  this  family 
of  Luke  Hanks.  They  were  all  Baptists  as  far  as  any  records 
show.  There  is  positive  evidence  of  the  mother,  Ann,  and 
Luke  and  four  sisters  who  died  near  the  old  home.  Tom 
Lincoln  was  a  religious  cosmopolite,  belonging  to  several 
churches  at  different  times,  and  finally  died  a  Campbellite. 
Luke  and  the  girls  here  had  membership  in  a  Baptist  church, 
and  a  Baptist,  Elkin,  rode  a  long  distance  several  months 
after  Nancy's  death  to  preach  her  funeral.  President  Lin 
coln  told  a  Baptist  editor  during  the  war  his  mother  was  a 
Baptist,  and  what  good  he  was  to  the  world  was  due  to  "  my 
angel  Baptist  mother,"  as  he  reports  her. 

Mr.  Herndon 5  says  the  early  training  of  his  Baptist 
mother  made  him  a  fatalist  for  life.  This  is,  so  far  as  I 
know,  all  I  know  of  her  denominational  faith.  She  made 
a  profound  impression  on  his  mind  in  the  few  years  she  had 
his  control,  and  it  is  to  his  lasting  honor  he  always  spoke  of 
her  in  almost  a  sacred  manner. 

President  Lincoln's  inclination  to  those  periods  of  sad 
ness  and  ennui  is  due  to  his  Calhoun  inheritance.  Mr.  Cal- 
houn's  biographers  (one  at  least)  report  this  and  also  some 
letters  by  a  Presbyterian  minister  who  married  his  sister, 
and  with  whom  he  stayed  and  went  to  school  in  boyhood 
for  a  while ;  and  I  believe  his  brother-in-law  was  his  teacher. 
He  wrote  to  the  family  he  feared  these  periods  of  sadness 
and  anguish  might  yet  have  a  sad  influence  on  his  life,  and 
told  his  home  folks  to  encourage  him  to  active  outdoor  exer 
cise,  such  as  hunting,  fishing,  etc.  But  most  of  his  biogra 
phers  do  not  like  to  report  this  fact,  and  generally  omit  it. 
Calhoun  had  a  high  power  of  analysis  and  discrimination, 

4  This  is  not  an  accurate  report  of  Herndon's  statement. — W.  E.  B. 

0  Herndon  says  that  Lincoln's  early  Baptist  environment  made  him 
a  fatalist.  He  does  not,  in  that  connection,  make  direct  reference  to 
Lincoln's  mother.— W.  E.  B. 


138     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

and  these  President  Lincoln  possessed  in  a  high  degree.  Mr. 
Calhoun,  though  of  a  Presbyterian  family,  was  accused  of 
being  dangerously  infidel,  like  Thomas  Jefferson.  Mr.  Cal 
houn  greatly  admired  Jefferson,  and  Jefferson  was  a  pro 
nounced  infidel,  and  a  very  immoral  man.  It  was  through 
his  influence  that  a  house  of  impure  women  was  attached  to 
the  University  of  Virginia,  and  all  under  medical  control. 
In  all  his  early  and  middle  life  President  Lincoln  was  strongly 
infidel :  but  the  press  and  weight  of  the  war  seems  to  have 
about  eliminated  his  infidelity,  as  his  two  greatest  efforts 
show, — the  Gettysburg  address  and  the  Second  Inaugural. 
I  was  writing  some  articles  for  the  press  on  the  great  men 
of  history,  Cyrus,  Alexander,  etc.,  showing  how  God  con 
trolled  in  the  civil  convulsions  of  men:  and  in  one  of  them 
referred  to  Lincoln  as  coming  to  the  top  just  as  the  world 
needed  a  great  man,  and  dilated  a  little  on  his  capacity  and 
fitness  and  how  he  brought  to  a  finale  the  long  life  of  his  dis 
tinguished  father.  Then  I  got  into  a  hornet's  nest.  For  a 
while  after  my  reply  not  all  was  quiet  in  Warsaw. 

I  feel  really  that  Lincoln  passed  out  in  a  really  beautiful 
evening.  His  mission  was  ended,  and  his  big  heart  was  not 
adapted  to  the  convulsions  which  followed. 

Lincoln  could  appoint  a  personal  enemy  to  service,  if  he 
was  suitable  for  the  job.  Jeff  Davis  never  could  do  that. 
Like  Mr.  Wilson,  he  favored  his  friends,  whether  capable  or 
not.  Mr.  Davis  was  painfully  so.  Being  an  Episcopalian,  he 
strongly  advanced  that  faith  whenever  possible  in  any  ap 
pointment.  He  was  continually  flouting  or  snubbing  some 
member  of  his  Cabinet  or  Senate  whom  he  feared  or  sus 
pected  was  trying  to  succeed  him.  He  was  often  in  a  sweat 
with  some  member  of  Richmond  high  society  whose  wife  had 
criticised  Davis*  wife  as  being  unsuited  to  lead  in  Richmond 
high  life,  but  he  had  the  energy  and  vim  to  carry  out  the 
views  of  his  slave-lord  creators,  and  to  bring  God's  aims  to 
their  fruition,  and  running  down  the  South's  force  and  power 
to  a  nullity.  What  Davis  aimed  at  failed,  but  God's  aim  bore 
fruit  in  providing  the  two  most  suitable  men  for  the  situation. 

Mr.  P.  B.  Christie,  several  years  ago,  ran  a  large  store 
in  Columbia,  S.  C,  and  I  was  frequently  there,  living  only 
twenty-five  miles  south  of  it.  I  suggested  to  him  one  day 
right  cautiously  that  I  had  heard  that  he  and  President  Davis 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  139 

were  half-brothers.  He  smiled  right  pleasantly  and  said, 
"  Mr.  Knotts,  I  am  told  by  the  best  men  and  women  in  Edge- 
field,  his  county,  that  this  is  true;  and  really,  I  believe  so  my 
self.  If  you  will  go  with  me  out  to  dinner  I  will  show  their 
pictures  side  by  side." 

I  accepted,  and  really  there  is  the  rarest  number  of  cases 
where  a  father  and  son  more  decidedly  favor  each  other. 
He  told  me  that  often  times  men  in  his  home  had  taken  his 
father  as  a  brother  or  near  kinsman  of  Davis,  and  when 
told  that  he  was  his  father,  the  next  question  generally  was, 
What  kin  was  he  to  President  Davis? 

How  strange  that  both  the  principal  actors  should  come 
from  South  Carolina,  and  from  adjoining  counties,  and  both 
sons  of  poor  ladies  by  slave  lords! 

Lincoln's  exportation  placed  him  under  different  ideals. 

In  the  record  made  by  President  Lincoln  in  his  father's 
family  Bible,  he  says,  "  Sarah,  daughter  of  Thomas  Lin 
coln,  married  Aaron  Grigsby."  Again,  "  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Lincoln,  wife  of  Aaron  Grigsby,  died."  He  twice 
denies,  thus,  that  she  is  Abraham's  sister,  and  does  not  say 
in  either  case  when  she  was  born.  I  doubt  if  he  knew.  But 
being  Nancy's  daughter  of  Washington  County  might  con 
fuse  with  his  kinship,  and  he  leaves  that  part  off.  But  in 
writing  his  own  birth  he  says,  "  son  of  Thomas  and  Nancy 
Lincoln."  He  says  also  "  Nancy  Lincoln  was  born  1-87." 
The  second  figure  is  gone,  and  the  third  shows  that  it  can 
not  be  an  "o,"  to  make  it  1807.  Herndon  says  that  he  was 
recording  his  own  mother's  birth.  A  microscope  shows  it 
to  be  very  much  as  above.  Henry  Watterson  and  others  say 
this  was  the  daughter  Nancy,  and  that  she  and  Sarah  were 
the  same.  But  Mr.  Herndon  says  that  Mrs.  Lincoln,  John 
and  Dennis  Hanks  all  deny  positively  that  she  was  ever  called 
anything  but  Sarah.  Mrs.  Manon,  daughter  of  John  Hanks, 
does  not  say  who  Lincoln's  mother  was;  seems  a  little  con 
fused;  but  does  give  all  of  Joseph  Hanks'  children,  and  the 
three  girls  and  who  two  of  them  married,  and  says  that  Den 
nis  was  Nancy's  son.  She  says  about  this,  "  I  know  that 
Dennis  Hanks  was  father's  first  cousin."  She  says  she  knows 
the  two  older  girls'  husbands  and  says  that  neither  of  them 
was  Lincoln's  mother,  and  leaves  the  only  alternative  for 
Nancy  as  his  mother. 


140    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

In  such  a  condensed  statement  I  have  to  leave  out  a 
great  deal  that  would  make  better  connection.  I  cannot  think 
of  Lincoln  as  taking  such  huge  responsibilities  on  his  single 
shoulders  as  the  League  and  Treaty.  Wilson's  course  in 
Versailles  and  here  will  be  a  peculiar  possession  of  Mr.  Wil 
son.  It  seems  to  me  to  be  one  of  the  most  erratic,  insane 
productions  in  all  diplomacy.  Mr.  Wilson  seems  to  have 
no  conception  whatever  of  God's  control  in  civic  affairs.  He 
seems  to  regard  that  a  peculiar  fitness  of  his  and  a  field  for 
man's  greatness  and  research.  To  take  this  great  question 
into  his  own  custody  is  a  vanity  I  do  not  think  even  Nebuch 
adnezzar  exceeded. 

I  trust  I  have  not  wearied  you. 
Respectfully, 

D.  J.  KNOTTS. 

The  correspondence  of  Mrs.  Manon,  daughter  of  old  John 
Hanks,  was  one  of  the  important  features  in  Mr.  Knotts' 
letters  to  me,  and  I  endeavored  to  learn  from  him  all  that  he 
had  learned  from  her.  As  there  were  important  gaps  in  the 
narrative,  I  wrote  to  Mrs.  Manon  and  to  her  cousin;  but  I 
did  not  find  them  communicative.  I  infer  from  her  letters 
to  Mr.  Knotts  that  she  does  not  confirm  the  tradition  of 
Mrs.  Hitchcock,  which  fact  I  regret;  for  I  should  like  to 
have  that  tradition  confirmed  by  the  Hanks  family.  I  did 
not  press  the  matter,  however,  because  it  had  only  an  inci 
dental  interest  and  no  real  importance  for  this  inquiry.  Mrs. 
Manon  says  that  her  father,  John  Hanks,  was  a  first  cousin 
of  Dennis.  Nancy  Hanks,  the  mother  of  Dennis  and  aunt 
of  the  President's  mother,  appears  to  have  been  John  Hanks' 
first  cousin. 

LETTER  OF  D.  J.   KNOTTS 

September  3,  1919. 

Mrs.  Manon  gives  fully  the  names  of  all  the  Joseph 
Hanks'  family  (five  sons  and  three  girls),  just  as  they  are 
in  his  will,  a  copy  of  which  I  have  from  the  records,  giving 
one  horse  to  each  son,  naming  the  horses,  and  one  heifer  to 
each  of  the  girls,  naming  the  heifers.  Nancy's  was  "  Pied." 
Mrs.  Manon  tells  whom  each  boy  married,  and  whom  the 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  141 

two  older  girls  married.  One  married  Jesse  Friend,  and  the 
other  I  do  not  remember  just  now.  Mrs.  Manon  was  daugh 
ter  of  William's  oldest  son,  who  was  executor  of  Joseph 
Hanks'  will  and  eldest  brother  of  Nancy.  Mrs.  Manon  says 
she  knows  her  father,  John  Hanks,  was  son  of  William,  and 
gives  names  of  all  John's  brothers  and  sisters.  She  says  she 
knows  positively  that  Dennis  and  her  father  were  first  cous 
ins,  and  of  course  that  means  that  one  of  the  three  girls  was 
his  mother.  She  says  she  knows  that  he  was  illegitimate. 
She  knew  him  from  girlhood,  and  was  frequently  in  his 
home,  even  after  he  moved  to  Charlestown;  that  he  was  a 
splendid  shoemaker  and  married  one  of  Sarah  Bush  Johns 
ton-Lincoln's  daughters. 

Mr.  Herndon  says  Etennis  told  him  that  he  was  illegiti 
mate  and  that  his  mother  was  a  Nancy  Hanks.  Mr.  Hern 
don  also  says  that  Dennis  told  him  that  Lincoln's  mother 
was  Nancy  Sparrow,  and  that  she  was  not  a  Hanks  at  all : 
that  she  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Lucy  Sparrow. 

I  questioned  Mrs.  Manon,  and  she  did  not  know  who 
Nancy,  her  great-aunt,  married,  or  what  became  of  her,  but 
she  knows  Dennis  was  illegitimate  and  her  father's  first  cousin, 
and  that  his  mother  was  Nancy.  The  Washington  County 
Nancy  was  the  one  alleged  to  have  been  Lincoln's  mother 
till  Mrs.  Hitchcock  found  the  will  of  Joseph  and  his  daugh 
ter  Nancy,  and  she  fully  settled  the  matter  without  any 
further  investigation.  D.  J.  KNOTT. 

I  endeavored  to  learn  from  Mr.  Knotts  something  more  of 
his  correspondence  with  the  daughter  of  John  Hanks,  and 
asked  him  to  loan  me  his  letters  from  her,  which  he  kindly 
did.  I  endeavored  to  obtain  information  direct  from  her 
and  her  cousin  who  lives  near  her  in  California,  but  had  no 
great  success;  nor  do  I  think  she  knows  much  more  than  she 
told  in  her  letters  to  Mr.  Knotts.  As  her  letters  to  him  were 
written  before  she  was  quite  as  guarded  as  she  later  appears 
to  have  become,  I  desired  to  examine  her  letters  to  him; 
and  he  kindly  sent  them.  Excerpts  from  them  are  found  in 
the  appendix ;  but  they  do  not  add  much  to  what  is  contained 
elsewhere.  Mr.  Knotts  relates  in  this  letter  how  he  lost  some 
of  her  Correspondence: 


142    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

LETTER  OF  D.  J.   KNOTTS 

SWANSEA,  S.  C.,  Oct.  i,  1919. 
DR.  BARTON  : 

MY  DEAR  SIR — Your  letter  received  today. 

The  most  of  Mrs.  Manon's  letters  were  about  the  kin  of 
John  Hanks,  her  father,  and  Dennis  Hanks,  and  most  of  them 
were  about  the  Hanks  family  in  Illinois,  Joseph  Hanks,  and 
the  Lincoln  family  in  Illinois.  She  wrote  two  or  more  to  me 
in  answer  to  mine,  about  the  Republican  Convention  of  1860, 
and  what  she  saw.  Amongst  other  things,  she  saw  her  father 
drive  home  with  the  two-horse  load  of  rails  selected  from 
fences  built  of  rails  split  by  her  father  and  Abraham  Lincoln. 
She  remembered  well  that  her  father  walked  into  the  Conven 
tion  with  three  of  them,  which  he  and  Governor  Oglesby  had 
selected,  and  that  he  sold  the  rest  of  them  for  $10  each  as 
souvenirs  to  Lincoln's  political  friends.  She  gave  me  the 
names  of  several  distinguished  men  who  bought  them,  and 
she  said  she  knew  that  there  were  persons  in  Illinois  who  had 
them,  but  she  did  not  give  their  names  to  me. 

In  corresponding  with  clerks  with  regard  to  records,  some 
of  them  made  themselves  very  intimate,  and  wanted  to  know 
more  of  what  I  was  doing;  and  one  of  them  wrote  to  me 
that  he  had  seen  an  old  coat  once  worn  by  Lincoln,  and  it 
was  badly  tattered  and  very  ragged. 

I  am  very  sorry  of  losing  about  a  year  ago  many  of  Mrs. 
Manon's  letters,  and  some  also  from  Anderson  County,  and 
also  those  of  the  lady  who  examined  the  records  in  Spring 
field,  Kentucky.  I  sincerely  regret  losing  these. 

It  occurred  in  this  way :  One  day  I  was  writing  and  had 
many  of  these  letters  by  me  on  the  floor,  and  I  was  called  to 
dinner.  I  carelessly  left  the  door  open,  and  many  of  the 
papers  were  blown  into  the  fire.  After  dinner  I  went  to  the 
postoffice,  and  the  girl  who  cleaned  up  my  room  in  my  ab 
sence  thought  them  refused  letters,  and  swept  quite  an  amount 
into  the  fire.  I  can  regain  those  from  offices  in  Anderson 
and  Abbeville,  but  Mrs.  Caruthers,  of  Kentucky,  is  dead,  and 
I  really  regret  the  loss  of  the  examinations  she  made  for  me 
in  the  estates  of  the  families  of  the  Berrys  and  Lincolns.  She 
made  an  exhaustive  report  of  the  records  in  the  clerk's  office 
at  Springfield,  Ky.,  showing  the  fraudulent  returns  of  about 
eighteen  couples  alleged  to  have  been  married  by  Jesse  Head, 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  143 

and  the  failure  of  the  clerk's  office  to  show  anything  until 
these  returns.  Amongst  these  papers  also  was  an  exhaustive 
examination  of  the  records  in  Amelia  County,  Va.,  of  the 
Hanks  family  there,  their  sales  and  suits,  and  of  William 
Hanks'  leaving. 

I  am  also  in  hopes  and  expectations  a  pure,  genuine  Re 
publican;  have  been  so  since  the  end  of  Cleveland's  second 
term.  Since  then  I  have  had  no  confidence  in  the  capacity  or 
cohesion  of  the  Democratic  party  on  any  national  issue.  I 
have  never  had  any  confidence  in  Woodrow  Wilson.  He  is 
so  vain,  silly  and  conceited  that  I  have  a  contempt  for  him 
that  I  have  never  had  for  any  public  man  of  importance. 
He  is  an  imaginative  theorist  and  blatherskite,  and  I  really 
fear  is  deceptive  and  selfish.  He  is  a  buffoon  of  the  first  de 
gree.  His  trip  west  to  drive  the  Senate  was  certainly  an 
idiotic  and  bigoted  stand  for  a  President.  He  feels  that  he 
is  the  government. 

[The  remainder  of  the  letter  relates  to  present-day  poli 
tics,  and  to  religion,  and  does  not  contain  further  reference 
to  the  papers  relating  to  Lincoln.] 

I  hope  you  are  well  and  continue  to  be  useful  in  the  world's 
betterment.  Respectfully, 

D.  J.  KNOTTS. 

Mr.  Knotts  is  a  voluminous  correspondent,  an  ardent 
Baptist,  a  strong  believer  in  the  overruling  Providence  of 
God  in  the  life  of  America,  and  an  admirer  of  Abraham  Lin 
coln.  I  am  indebted  to  him  for  a  number  of  important  let 
ters  which  he  loaned  to  me,  as  well  as  for  information  which 
enabled  me  to  procure,  after  much  search,  Arthur's  History 
of  Western  North  Carolina.  But  I  did  not  make  much  prog 
ress  in  my  effort  to  secure  a  consistent  report  of  the  relations 
of  Lincoln  on  the  Hanks  side,  and  finally  abandoned  it.  Mr. 
Knotts  continued  to  send  me  interesting  items  and  some  doc 
uments  : 

LETTER  OF  D.   J.   KNOTTS 

SWANSEA,  S.  C.,  Nov.  12,  1919. 
DR.  W.  E.  BARTON: 

DEAR  SIR — A  few  days  ago  I  sent  you  some  of  the  col 
lection  of  letters  I  had  remaining  and  other  records  of  value. 


144    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Mrs.  W.  M.  Vaught,  of  Elizabethtown,  Tenn.,  had  furnished 
me  copies  of  Isaac  Lincoln's  will  and  his  wife,  Mary, — Mrs. 
Vaught  is  a  great-niece  of  Mrs.  Mary  Lincoln,  who  was  Mary 
Ward  before  her  marriage.  Mr.  J.  D.  Jenkins,  some  of 
whose  letters  I  sent  you,  is  a  great  nephew  of  Mrs.  Lincoln. 
A  good  deal  of  my  correspondence  with  Mrs.  Manon  was 
about  the  family  in  Illinois  and  how  descended.  I  was  espe 
cially  anxious  to  fix  John  Hanks  and  Dennis  Hanks'  kinship. 
She  says  she  knows  they  were  first  cousins  and  that  he  was 
an  illegitimate  son  of  one  of  his  grandfather,  William  Hanks' 
sister,  but  did  not  know  which  one,  nor  did  not  even  know 
how  many  sisters  and  brothers  her  grandfather  had  till  I  sent 
her  a  copy  of  Joseph  Hanks'  will,  naming-  his  children.  She 
had  seen  one  of  Watterson's  pieces  and  cut  it  out  and  sent  it  to 
me,  in  which  he  made  the  daughter  of  Joseph  Hanks  Lincoln's 
mother,  but  as  Mrs.  Manon  said,  without  any  proof  of  her  life 
or  origin.  Watterson  said  Joseph  lived  in  Hardin  County 
and  was  a  carpenter.  To  this  statement  Mrs.  Manon  and  her 
cousin,  Mrs.  Jordan,  took  issue  and  said  that  William  Hanks' 
father  was  a  shoemaker  and  so  was  Dennis  Hanks.  I  spent, 
after  writing  to  her,  a  good  deal  of  time  and  money  looking 
after  the  Hanks  family  in  Illinois. 

I  was  really  interested  in  the  matter,  for  my  interest  is 
in  the  real  manhood  and  true  greatness  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
and  not  for  fault-finding  or  blemish-hunting.  After  1832 
Calhoun's  life  was  embittered  with  the  sadness  and  disap 
pointed  ambition  in  failing  to  grasp  the  Presidency.  His  life 
was  ambitious  and  selfish,  and  then  revengeful.  He  was  not  a 
national  character,  was  entirely  Southern  and  sectional  in 
his  political  life  and  indulged  in  a  bad  spirit.  I  do  not  be 
lieve  that  American  history  produces  Lincoln's  equal  as  a 
purely,  loyal,  patriotic  national  character,  entirely  unselfish, 
but  purely  a  friend  to  the  Union  and  to  the  best  way  to  pre 
serve  it.  A  plain,  blunt,  unpretending  man,  but  honest  and 
candid.  I  rode  by  Mr.  McGee's  home,  who  was  an  old  man, 
about  85  years  old,  an  intelligent  man.  He  told  me  he  mar 
ried  in  1851  James  Emerson's  youngest  daughter  and  had 
lived  within  three  or  four  miles  of  this  Hanks  family  ever 
since.  James  Emerson  was  a  magistrate  and  slave-lord,  who 
died  in  1865,  an  old  man.  Mr.  McGee  told  me  that  Mr. 
Emerson  had  employed  Luke  Hanks  for  years  as  his  court 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  145 

officer  and  constable  and  that  he  had  an  abiding  faith  in  his 
integrity  and  honesty  and  said  all  his  children  had  established 
that  credit  and  all  the  older  Hanks  folks  he  had  any  trans 
actions  with  appeared  to  be  of  this  stamp  and  that  the  girls 
and  women  of  the  older  Hanks  family  bore  a  fine  name.  He 
rode  to  the  Ebenezer  Graveyard  and  we  looked  around  over 
the  same.  On  Luke's  tomb  was  this  inscription,  "  God  gave 
him  an  honest  heart."  Mr.  McGee  and  Mrs.  Drake,  an  older 
daughter  of  Squire  Emerson,  and  a  very  intelligent  old  lady 
of  92  years,  said  she  had  known  the  Hanks  men  and  women 
from  her  girlhood  and  it  was  for  truth  and  honesty.  I  could 
give  evidences  of  what  these  two  intelligent  old  slave-holders 
told  me  of  the  Hanks  character  and  both  told  me  that  you 
could  not  tell  The  mas  Hanks  from  Lincoln  in  two  good 
photographs. 

Keep  the  letters  and  book  as  long  as  you  need  them. 
Respectfully, 

D.  J.  KNOTTS. 

The  next  letter  deals  mostly  with  other  matters,  but  gives 
the  name  of  the  man  who  told  Mr.  Knotts  of  General  Hurt's 
information  concerning  J.  C.  Calhoun. 

SWANSEA,  S.  C.,  March  12,  1920. 

General  M.  L.  Bonham,  a  former  Attorney  General  of  the 
state  of  South  Carolina,  was  a  classmate  of  John  P.  Arthur 
at  law  school  of  Washington  and  Lee  University  of  Virginia. 
He  lives  at  Anderson  and  practices  law.  He  it  was  who  heard 
General  Burt  in  the  secrecy  of  his  home  say  to  him  and 
certain  other  young  law  students  in  1867,  I  believe,  about 
Calhoun's  paternity  of  Lincoln.  He  refused  myself  and  Mr. 
Arthur  to  disclose  his  name,  possibly  on  account  of  his  inti 
macy  with  the  Calhoun  family. 

D.  J.  KNOTTS. 

While  I  did  not  pursue  the  questions  arising  out  of  the 
relations  of  the  large  and  widely  scattered  Hanks  family,  I 
desired,  and  most  earnestly,  to  be  sure  of  the  family  of  Luke 
and  Ann  Hanks,  and  especially  to  know  about  the  daughter 
Nancy.  This  I  had  difficulty  in  accomplishing,  and  my  in 
quiries  addressed  to  the  Clerk  of  the  Anderson  County  Court 


146    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

brought  answer  that  no  such  lists  were  to  be  found  there. 
Later,  I  procured  them,  as  will  be  stated  in  a  subsequent  chap 
ter,  and  they  are  of  very  great  importance.  This  last  letter 
which  I  quote  from  Mr.  Knotts  bears  on  these  records,  to 
whose  significance  I  shall  later  refer: 

SWANSEA,  March  15,  1920. 
MY  DEAR  SIR: 

The  long  list  of  the  Hanks  heirs  is  on  record  in  Anderson, 
S.  C,  in  the  Clerk  of  Courts'  office.  The  Hanks  family  tried 
to  have  a  division  and  made  a  list  of  the  children,  and  even 
sold  the  land  under  the  division.  The  list  they  made  out 
named  only  the  real  children  or  the  husbands  or  wives.  Of 
some  of  the  dead  ones  they  would  say,  "  heirs  of  Susan 
Hanks,"  meaning  children;  and  in  the  case  of  Charles  Hanie 
by  right  of  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  making  eleven  in  all,  and  the 
final  showed  twelve  divisions. 

The  whole  being  illegal,  Jane  Davis  and  her  husband 
Valentine  Davis  brought  suit  by  employing  a  very  proficient 
lawyer,  Peter  Van  Diver.  It  is  said  he  never  appeared  in 
the  courthouse  but  was  a  splendid  office  lawyer.  He  brought 
suit  as  Jane  Davis  and  her  husband  against  this  long  list  of 
heirs,  all  of  record  in  the  courthouse  in  Anderson.  In  1789 
when  Luke  Hanks  died  this  home  was  in  Abbeville  County, 
but  in  1828  Anderson  was  cut  off  into  a  new  county. 

Mr.  John  P.  Arthur  sought  information  in  these  matters, 
and  I  referred  him  to  his  classmate  of  Washington  and  Lee 
University,  General  M.  L.  Bonham.  Somehow  Mr.  Bonham 
stopped  with  the  first  illegal  division,  and  I  told  Mr.  Arthur 
to  get  Mr.  Geiger  who  had  assisted  me;  and  he  and  General 
Bonham  obtained  what  he  wanted.  Officers  then  were  not  so 
regular  and  precise  as  they  are  now  and  it  requires  a  little 
caution  in  tracing  estates.  I  have  ascertained  that  the  Virginia 
records  are  most  regular,  and  next  to  these  those  of  Illinois, 
of  all  the  states  I  examined. 

I  think  Lincoln's  early  life  was  full  of  infidelity,  but  I 
really  believe  the  cares  and  trials  of  his  life  entirely  eliminated 
this  and  he  became  a  full  believer  in  God.  He  was  a  man  of 
spotless  moral  character. 

D.  J.  KNOTTS. 


PART  III:  A  CRITICAL  AND  CONSTRUC 
TIVE  ANALYSIS 


PART  III:  A  CRITICAL  AND  CONSTRUC 
TIVE  ANALYSIS 

CHAPTER  XV 
THE  RULES  OF  EVIDENCE 

IT  will  not  be  surprising  if  the  reader  finds  himself  at  this 
point  somewhat  bewildered,  and  a  trifle  doubtful  concerning 
the  result  of  this  inquiry.  We  have  gone  to  great  labor,  and 
soiled  much  white  paper,  and  what  have  we  but  a  confused 
collection  of  scandal,  expressed  in  some  instances  in  labored 
argument  and  in  others  in  vague  surmise  and  indistinct 
rumor.  How  are  we  ever  to  emerge  from  a  dismal  swamp 
such  as  that  in  which  we  now  find  ourselves  ? 

If  the  reader  does  not  experience  some  such  feeling  as  this, 
his  emotions  are  quite  different  from  those  of  the  author, 
when  he  came  at  length  to  realize  that  in  his  pursuit  of  an 
other  aspect  of  Lincoln's  life,  he  had  mired  his  feet  in  this 
morass,  from  which  his  first  attempts  to  escape  got  him  in  the 
deeper,  and  tangled  him  in  thorns.  It  was  a  debatable  ques 
tion  whether  to  turn  back  or  to  force  his  way  through. 

How  are  we  ever  to  learn  the  truth  about  matters  of  this 
character  ? 

The  ready  answer  is  that  we  are  to  appeal  to  History. 

But  what  is  History,  and  how  is  it  born  or  made,  and  what 
is  its  authority? 

I  trust  the  reader  will  not  find  wearisome  a  few  pages  of 
personal  reminiscence,  which  may  possibly  have  some  illus 
trative  value  at  this  point. 

I  have  always  been  interested  in  History.  It  was  a  great 
day  in  the  annals  of  my  early  education  when  to  Reading, 
Writing,  Arithmetic,  Grammar  and  Geography,  I  was  per 
mitted  to  add  a  study  of  Quackenbos'  History  of  the  United 

149 


150    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

States.  I  devoured  it  with  avidity.  I  did  not  stop  with  the 
assigned  lesson,  but  kept  myself  out  of  mischief  by  reading 
the  book  when  I  was  not  required  to  do  so.  A  year  or  two 
later,  having  advanced  into  a  higher  grade  in  our  so-called 
High  School,  I  was  introduced  to  Barnes'  School  History  of 
the  United  States.  It  comprised  a  narrative  of  events  in 
large  type,  and  a  great  wealth  of  footnotes  containing  historic 
incidents.  This  book  I  practically  committed  to  memory,  the 
text  and  especially  the  notes. 

In  those  days  school  terms  closed  with  public  oral  examina 
tions.  The  teacher  as  well  as  the  school  was  under  examina 
tion,  and  the  teacher  took  pains  that  pupils  called  upon  should 
be  examined  in  those  branches  in  which  they  were  supposed 
to  excel.  I  shone  in  History.  Asked  any  question  in  the  book, 
I  could  start  and  very  nearly  recite  the  book  backward  or  for 
ward.  The  proud  look  of  my  teacher  on  these  occasions  still 
serves  to  comfort  me  when  I  recall  some  experiences  in  which, 
for  reasons  which  I  will  not  here  narrate,  the  facial  expression 
was  less  benign.  In  History  I  was  not  counted  a  failure.  I 
thought  I  knew  History. 

In  college  I  was  introduced  to  Universal  History.  My 
record  there  was  perhaps  less  brilliant  but  was  rather  better 
than  moderately  satisfactory  to  the  instructors,  and  I  never  had 
any  doubt  about  my  grades  in  that  department. 

I  entered  upon  my  post-graduate  study  for  my  degree  in 
Theology  with  what  was  supposed  to  be  advanced  credit  in 
History.  For  that  reason  I  took  up  in  my  first  year  those 
courses  in  Church  History  which  were  regularly  shown  in 
the  catalogue  as  belonging  to  more  mature  students.  I  found 
this  study  much  more  exacting,  and  I  will  not  pretend  to 
any  such  record  as  I  believed  myself  to  have  made  in  my 
earlier  years,  but  I  still  thought  well  of  my  knowledge  of 
History,  and  often  said  to  myself  that  if  I  should  ever  be 
come  a  college  professor,  that  was  one  of  the  branches  which 
I  should  feel  competent  to  teach. 

In  the  middle  of  my  Divinity  course,  I  elected  advanced 
work  in  Church  History.  Then  I  learned  the  Seminar  method, 
at  that  time  rather  newly  imported  from  European  univer- 


THE  BURDEN  OF  PROOF  151 

sities.  We  did  not  learn  History  from  books  of  History,  treat 
ing  of  particular  periods  and  countries;  we  went  to  original 
sources,  and  were  required  to  write  chapters  of  History  that 
were  supposed  to  be  original. 

Then  it  was  I  discovered  that  I  had  never  known  History. 

If  up  to  that  time  I  had  been  asked,  What  is  History? 
I  should  have  answered  that  History  is  the  record  of  past 
events,  as  they  have  been  duly  accredited  and  set  forth  in 
reliable  books.  I  knew,  to  be  sure,  that  books  disagreed, 
and  that  the  student  must  compare  historian  with  historian 
and  make  allowance  for  national  prejudice  and  for  other 
limitations. 

But  when  I  began  to  write  histories  of  my  own,  I  was 
appalled  at  the  nature  of  the  sources. 

Out  of  what  material   do   historians  make  the  books  in 
which  History  is  recorded? 

Largely  out  of  other  books. 

But  what  was  the  material  used  by  the  authors  of  the 
earlier  books? 

They  used,  or  endeavored  to  use,  original  sources. 

What  are  original  sources? 

Original  sources  consist  in  such  materials  as  these: 

The  verbal  testimony  of  eye-witnesses  when  this  can  be 
obtained;  if  not,  then  testimony  of  those  to  whom  events  are 
related  by  eye-witnesses;  oral  traditions;  newspapers,  or  clip 
pings  from  newspapers  giving  information  of  current  events; 
diaries;  personal  letters  and  family  records. 

And  this  litter  of  uncertainty  was  what  History  was  to  be 
made  of!  We  were  given  trunks  full  of  this  stromata  and 
told  to  make  History  of  it!  Surely  here  was  a  demand  that 
we  produce  a  sweet-voiced  whistle  out  of  a  pig's  tail!  This 
fragmentary  and  contradictory  material,  preserved  in  patches 
and  often  for  quite  other  purposes,  was  what  historians  had 
to  work  with,  knowing  all  the  time  that  the  really  important 
material  must  often  have  perished  and  the  unimportant  and 
perhaps  the  misleading,  preserved! 

I  had  long  bowed  down  to  History.  It  was  for  me  an  idol 
with  head  of  gold  and  breast  of  silver  and  thighs  of  brass. 


152    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Now  I  beheld  it  as  having  feet  of  iron  mingled  with  mirey 
clay,  and  standing,  not  on  the  rock  of  certain  established 
verity,  but  knee-deep  in  the  perilous  quicksand  of  tradition. 

Who  could  ever  hope  to  know  anything  ?  What  was  His 
tory,  but  what  Voltaire  called  it,  a  lie  which  men  agree  to  call 
truth?  History,  I  said  to  myself,  was  Mystery. 

But  I  found  the  case  to  be  not  quite  so  hopeless.  I  beheld, 
and  since  have  had  abundant  occasion  to  discover,  that  many 
so-called  historians  merely  mire  themselves  in  the  swamp  of 
unverified  tradition,  and  that,  when  they  once  succeed  in  get 
ting  their  books  printed,  wiser  people  receive  them  as  pos 
sessed  of  authority.  But  I  also  found  that  it  is  possible  to  at 
tain,  not  complete  certainty,  which  never  belongs  to  things 
human,  but  sufficient  probability  to  be  accepted  as  trustworthy. 

Some  little  study  of  law  which  I  had  pursued  before 
entering  the  ministry,  proved  of  value  to  me ;  and  I  employed, 
when  from  time  to  time  I  had  occasion  to  pursue  historical  in 
vestigation,  some  of  the  principles  which  I  learned  under  the 
rules  of  evidence. 

First  of  all,  we  need  to  assure  ourselves  that  we  have 
secured  the  essential  facts.  I  will  not  say  all  the  facts,  for  we 
can  never  secure  all  the  facts.  Every  fact  is  related  to  every 
other  fact,  and  every  story,  if  fully  told,  begins  with  the  crea 
tion  of  the  world.  Out  of  the  impossible  total  of  facts,  bearing 
directly  or  remotely  upon  our  inquiry,  which  are  really  essen 
tial  to  our  purpose?  Are  we  sure  that  we  have  all  such  facts 
that  can  possibly  be  secured  ?  Are  we  sure  that  among  those 
facts  which  we  are  unable  to  secure  there  can  be  none  which 
would  materially  alter  the  significance  of  those  which  we  al 
ready  have? 

Now,  it  must  be  apparent  to  any  one  who  knows  books  of 
History  that  very  many  of  them  were  prepared  by  men  and 
women  who  did  not  approach  their  task  with  any  such  view  of 
the  method  which  they  were  to  pursue.  They  gathered  a 
few  facts  and  some  traditions  from  apparently  reliable  sources, 
and  built  up  their  books  almost  wholly  out  of  unverified 
material.  They  did  no  intelligent  work  of  selection.  They 
had  no  adequate  theory  of  the  working  of  cause  and  effect 


THE  BURDEN  OF  PROOF  153 

in  History.  They  merely  gathered  so  much  of  the  shale  of 
tradition  and,  heaping  it  into  a  book,  proclaimed  it  to  be 
solid  historical  rock.  One  who  would  buy  the  truth  and  sell 
it  not  has  to  pay  the  bookseller  for  the  same  old  lies  told  over 
and  over,  often  by  men  who  do  not  know  enough  of  History 
to  know  that  they  are  lying.  Let  the  most  stupid  of  blunders 
find  its  way  into  type  and  it  will  be  copied  and  affirmed  by 
men  much  wiser  than  the  original  author  of  the  blunder. 

Our  task,  and  the  task  of  all  serious  historians,  is, — 

First,  the  assembling  of  the  whole  body  of  fact,  so  far  as 
that  is  humanly  possible. 

Secondly,  the  sifting  of  these  facts  into  those  that  are 
and  those  that  are  not  relevant  to  our  purpose. 

Thirdly,  the  subjecting  of  the  testimony  to  a  merciless  but 
sympathetic  analysis,  a  keen  and  determined  critical  inspection, 
that  will  permit  no  error  to  masquerade  as  truth,  and  no  ir 
relevant  detail  to  throw  us  off  the  scent  of  the  really  important 
fact. 

Finally,  there  must  be  a  constructive  genius.  This  is  not 
easy  to  combine  with  the  critical  spirit.  But  it  requires  both  of 
these  to  write  History. 

In  the  matter  now  before  us,  we  have  gone  part  way.  We 
have  painstakingly  assembled  our  evidence,  and  so  far  as  we 
can  learn,  we  have  in  hand  all  the  evidence  that  can  be  of 
material  assistance  to  us.  One  side  of  that  evidence  has  been 
presented.  We  are  now  to  examine  it  in  the  true  historic 
spirit,  a  spirit  of  careful  analysis,  a  spirit  of  constructive 
expectation  that  we  shall  learn  the  truth.  If  we  succeed,  we 
may  make  it  unnecessary  for  any  one  else  to  write  books  on 
this  subject.  We  may  actually  make,  what  historians  aspire 
to  make,  a  contribution  to  the  sum  of  human  knowledge. 

I  should  like  at  this  point  to  ask  the  reader  to  agree  with 
me  that  thus  far,  at  least,  the  inquiry  has  been  a  fair  and 
impartial  one.  It  will  be  difficult  to  seem  impartial  after  we 
take  up  the  cross  examination  of  these  witnesses.  Inevitably 
the  author  will  disclose  what  will  appear  to  be  prejudices,  and 
will  seem  to  become  a  prosecuting  attorney  rather  than  a 
judge.  Let  us  now  pause  for  a  moment,  and  reflect  that  thus 


154    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

far  there  has  been  no  evidence  of  bias.  The  author  has  en 
deavored  to  obtain  every  fact,  every  report,  every  rumor,  that 
had  a  bearing  upon  this  question.  He  has  expended  more 
money  for  postage  than  he  is  likely  to  get  back  in  profits  on 
the  book.  He  has  traveled  far  to  points  remote  and  not  all  of 
them  easy  of  access.  He  has  interviewed  or  corresponded 
with  every  person  whom  he  had  reason  to  believe  could  give 
him  any  information,  on  either  side  of  any  of  the  questions 
which  he  has  now  been  discussing.  It  will  now  become  his 
duty  to  sift  this  evidence,  and  bring  to  it  such  critical  skill  as  he 
may  have  learned,  in  order  that  the  truth  shall  finally  be  dis 
covered.  Let  the  reader  agree  that  thus  far  the  evidence  has 
been  sought  out  with  a  considerable  degree  of  industry,  and  in 
a  spirit  that  has  been  at  least  willing  to  learn. 

We  now  have  before  us,  as  fully  as  it  has  been  possible  to 
secure  it,  the  evidence  in  its  several  forms  that  Abraham  Lin 
coln  was  not  the  son  of  Thomas  Lincoln.  The  author  has 
assumed  the  responsibility,  which  he  does  not  regard  as  a  light 
one,  of  producing  every  allegation,  including  some  that  have 
never  been  in  print  before,  against  the  chastity  of  Nancy 
Hanks.  It  is  now  in  order  to  submit  each  one  of  these  in 
turn,  and  then  the  group  as  a  whole,  to  a  critical  analysis. 
We  must  inquire  concerning  each  of  these,  where  and  when 
it  originated ;  whether  the  persons  who  first  made  these  state 
ments  and  those  through  whom  they  were  transmitted,  were 
truthful,  unbiased  and  competent;  whether  the  stories  were  in 
circulation  at  the  time  or  whether  they  became  current  later, 
and  if  so  how  much  later;  whether  they  are  supported  by  suffi 
cient  evidence  to  outweigh  the  legal  and  moral  presumption 
that  stands  in  favor  of  the  virtue  of  a  woman  who  can  no 
longer  speak  on  her  own  behalf;  and  whether  they  corrobo 
rate  or  contradict  each  other. 

The  law  of  libel  holds  not  only  with  regard  to  the  good 
name  of  the  living,  but  also  with  respect  to  that  of  the  dead. 
It  is  as  serious  an  offense  against  the  civil  law  and  against 
good  morals  to  blacken  the  reputation  of  the  dead  as  it  is  to 
assail  the  fair  fame  of  the  living.  Nancy  Hanks  cannot  be 
heard  in  her  own  defense,  but  she  must  not  be  condemned  on 


THE  BURDEN  OF  PROOF  155 

idle  hearsay.  Those  who  defame  her  must  come  into  court 
with  clean  hands,  and  must  produce  their  evidence,  and  sub 
mit  to  cross  examination  and  to  contrary  testimony. 

The  burden  of  proof  is  not  upon  Nancy  Hanks,  but  upon 
those  who  declare  that  she  was  not  virtuous.  She  is  fully 
entitled,  both  in  law  and  in  good  morals,  to  the  presumption 
that  she  was  a  virtuous  woman.  She  married  at  twenty-three 
and  she  lived  with  one  man  as  his  wife  until  her  death.  It  is 
to  be  presumed  that  Thomas  Lincoln  knew  what  kind  of 
woman  he  was  marrying,  and  that  she  had  so  behaved  before 
marriage  that  he  could  trust  her,  or  believed  that  he  could, 
and  that  after  marriage  she  continued  to  conduct  herself  in 
such  fashion  that  he  continued  to  trust  her.  If  that  is  not 
true,  there  must  be  sufficient  evidence  to  establish  her  bad 
reputation,  either  before  or  after  marriage.  She  is  entitled 
to  be  considered  innocent  unless  and  until  she  is  proved  guilty. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  Thomas  Lincoln  shall  produce  wit 
nesses  to  the  act  of  procreation  by  which  Abraham  Lincoln 
came  into  being.  That  is  not  required  of  any  man.  If 
Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  were  living  together  as  husband 
and  wife  at  the  time  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born,  and  sustain 
ing  in  the  sight  of  their  neighbors  relations  that  had  the  appear 
ance  of  matrimony,  their  mutual  consent  and  cohabitation  is 
in  itself  satisfactory  proof  of  the  legitimacy  of  their  offspring, 
unless  there  is  overwhelming  testimony  to  the  contrary.  If 
they  had  been  living  together  for  some  time  previous,  and 
continued  to  live  together  for  some  years  subsequent,  to  the 
birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  presumption  in  favor  of  his 
being  a  legitimate  child  is  greatly  strengthened,  and  the  evi 
dence  to  overthrow  that  presumption  must  be  strong  and  con 
sistent. 

Fornication  and  adultery  are  seldom  proved  by  witnesses 
to  the  overt  act;  but  neither  of  them  is  to  be  assumed  except 
on  the  basis  of  such  a  volume  of  testimony  as  is  sufficient  to 
overthrow  the  presumption  of  chastity,  and  establish  the  fact 
of  guilt  beyond  a  reasonable  doubt. 

An  important  question  will  emerge  as  we  proceed,  and  will 
Several  times  confront  us,  and  be  fully  considered  at  the  close ; 


156    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

do  these  stories  tend  to  confirm  each  other,  or  do  they  mutually 
weaken  each  other  ?  Is  their  effect  cumulative,  or  is  it  such  as 
to  indicate  a  vague  mass  of  unfounded  rumor? 

We  shall  answer  this  question  in  its  place.  But  one  thing 
we  should  have  in  mind  from  the  beginning;  not  all  of  these 
stories  can  be  true.  Indeed,  when  we  look  at  them  closely  we 
discover  that  not  more  than  one  of  them  can  be  true.  Out 
of  the  seven,  six  certainly  are  false.  It  is  our  clear  duty  to 
discover  six  false  stories  out  of  seven,  and  it  is  necessary  that 
we  find  six  that  are  false,  if  we  establish  one  that  is  true. 

Furthermore,  if  we  find  six  that  are  false,  that  does  not 
in  any  wise  create  a  presumption  that  the  seventh  is  true.  The 
seventh  must  in  its  turn  produce  its  evidence,  submit  to  cross 
examination,  and  show  that  it  is  true  beyond  a  reasonable 
doubt.  Not  only  will  the  discovery  of  the  six  certainly  false 
stories  create  no  presumption  that  the  seventh  is  true,  but  every 
element  of  plausibility  that  we  discover  in  the  six  that  we 
find  to  be  false  will  serve  to  put  us  on  our  guard  against  the 
possibility  of  similar  falsehoods  that  may  take  on  the  aspect 
of  truth  in  the  seventh. 

Does  this  mean  that  we  are  determined  to  prove  Nancy 
Hanks  a  virtuous  woman? 

No;  but  it  means  that  she  is  entitled  to  be  believed  a  virtu 
ous  woman  unless  clear  proof  can  be  adduced  that  she  was  not 
so.  The  judge  upon  the  bench  would  so  instruct  the  jury. 
She  is  entitled  to  every  reasonable  presumption  in  advance, 
and  that  presumption  is  to  be  strengthened  by  all  the  evidence 
which  can  be  adduced  in  favor  of  her  virtue.  She  does  not 
have  to  prove  it.  The  burden  of  proof  is  upon  those  who 
assail  her  character.  They  must  prove  their  case. 

With  these  reminders  of  the  rules  of  evidence,  we  are  now 
to  take  up  one  by  one  the  several  charges  or  reports  that 
affect  the  paternity  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  the  chastity  of 
Nancy  Hanks.  And  having  examined  them  singly,  we  shall 
consider  them  as  a  whole. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN  COUNTY, 
KENTUCKY 

THE  first  of  these  stories  which  we  are  to  examine  is  that 
which  gained  currency  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Lin 
coln's  birth,  and  which  affirms  that  he  was  the  son  of  his 
father's  neighbor,  Abraham  Enlow. 

There  was  such  a  man  as  Abraham  Enlow.  He  lived  in 
the  neighborhood  where  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born.  His 
grandchildren  and  great  grandchildren  still  are  there. 

It  is  not  my  intention  in  subsequent  chapters  to  repeat  in 
succession  the  stories  that  are  found  in  Part  II.  The  reader 
can  turn  back  to  them  one  by  one  and  refresh  his  memory  if  he 
desires.  In  the  case  of  this  first  story,  however,  it  will  be 
worth  while  to  repeat  it  in  the  form  in  which  it  is  easy  to 
pick  up  in  the  vicinity  of  Hodgenville. 

One  has  no  need  to  go  far  into  La  Rue  County  to  pick 
up  gossip  concerning  the  birth  of  Lincoln.  Before  I  reached 
Hodgenville,  on  the  occasion  of  my  first  visit,  I  had  become 
fairly  well  acquainted  upon  the  train,  with  a  man  who  was 
born  in  Hodgenville  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  fur 
nished  me  much  valuable  information  as  to  the  people  whom 
I  might  see.  When  we  had  talked  of  other  matters,  I  asked 
him  what  he  knew  or  had  heard  of  Lincoln's  parentage.  He 
said: 

"  All  I  know  about  it  is  what  all  the  old  folks  used  to  say, 
and  they  all  said  that  the  father  of  Lincoln  was  Abe  Enlow. 
I  never  heard  them  give  any  reasons,  or  tell  how  they  knew, 
but  they  all  knew  the  story  and  believed  it.  There  may  have 
been  some  who  did  not,  but  all  that  I  remember  to  have  heard 
say  anything  about  it  took  it  for  granted  it  was  true. 

"  This  county  was  Democratic,  and  sent  its  boys  mostly 
to  the  Southern  army.  There  was  a  time  when  Lincoln  was 

167 


158     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

not  highly  thought  of  here.  People  said  he  brought  on  the  war, 
and  he  took  away  their  niggers.  But  they  think  well  of  him 
now,  and  are  proud  that  he  was  born  here.  I  believe  that  if 
he  had  lived  he  would  have  colonized  the  niggers.  If  he 
had  done  that  after  freeing  them,  he  would  have  been  the 
greatest  man  this  country  ever  produced. 

"  The  old-time  nigger  was  all  right.  He  knew  his  place. 
But  these  niggers  we  have  here  now  are  no  good.  You  can't 
hire  one  of  them  to  make  your  garden.  Once  in  a  while  there's 
an  honest  one,  but  most  of  them  just  steal. 

"  We  think  more  of  Lincoln  now  than  we  did  just  after 
the  war.  There  was  a  good  deal  then  to  make  people  bitter, 
but  that  is  nearly  all  gone.  The  farther  we  get  from  the  war, 
the  more  people  see  that  Lincoln  was  all  right,  and  the  best 
friend  the  South  ever  had. 

"  But  the  old  people  did  not  think  much  of  Lincoln,  and 
you  can't  very  well  blame  them.  They  used  to  talk  about  him, 
and  they  did  not  believe  that  he  was  Tom  Lincoln's  son.  They 
do  not  talk  much  about  it  now  as  they  used  to  do. 

"  There  is  a  good  deal  of  difference  of  opinion  when  they 
get  to  talking.  Some  say  he  was  born  in  Elizabethtown,  and 
some  say  that  he  was  born  somewhere  else  and  moved  here. 
But  I  do  not  believe  either  of  those  stories.  I  believe  he  was 
born  here,  and  that  Abe  Enlow  was  his  father." 

I  give  this  story  as  it  was  given  to  me,  without  animus,  by 
an  intelligent  man.  It  will  stand  as  fairly  typical  of  the  stories 
which  one  may  hear  from  the  middle  aged  and  elderly  people 
of  Hodgenville  who  believe  the  story. 

But  when  these  good  and  honest  people  are  cross- 
questioned,  the  story  weakens.  When  did  the  witnesses  per 
sonally  hear  of  this?  They  have  heard  of  it  all  their  lives. 
What  was  the  first  time  they  distinctly  remember  to  have 
heard  it  ?  Who  was  it  that  told  it  on  that  occasion,  and  under 
what  circumstances  which  fix  the  date  ? 

Under  questioning  of  this  character  the  result  is  obtained 
that  while  certain  of  these  people  are  sure  that  the  "  old 
folks  "  must  have  heard  it  long,  long  ago,  no  one  living  ap 
pears  to  recall  having  heard  it  until  after  the  Civil  War.  Every 


ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN      159 

attempt  to  fix  an  earlier  date  grows  vague,  and  falls  back  on 
generalities.  No  one  who  was  born,  say  in  1840,  appears  to 
be  able  to  recall  any  definite  event  earlier  than  1865  associated 
with  the  distinct  memory  of  this  story. 

The  author,  having  made  a  somewhat  diligent  inquiry,  on 
the  ground  and  through  correspondence,  is  fully  convinced 
that  Hodgenville  never  entertained  a  suspicion  of  the  legiti 
macy  of  Abraham  Lincoln  until  the  bitter  days  that  came  near 
the  end  of  the  Rebellion,  and  that  then  the  rumor  came  from 
the  outside. 

In  considering  the  truth  or  falsehood  of  these  stones  con 
cerning  the  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  it  is  important  to  ask, 
When  did  these  stories  originate,  and  on  whose  authority 
were  they  first  promulgated? 

This  is  a  question  to  which  no  satisfactory  answer  appears 
hitherto  to  have  been  given.  The  author  has  made  diligent 
inquiry  in  the  vicinity  of  Hodgenville,  and  cannot  learn  that 
any  hint  or  rumor  reflecting  upon  the  chastity  of  Nancy  Hanks 
or  the  legitimate  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln  was  current  there 
in  1809,  or  during  the  period  when  the  Lincolns  resided  there, 
nor  for  half  a  century  after  they  had  moved  away. 

There  is  no  evidence  known  to  the  author  that  this  rumor 
in  any  of  its  forms  originated  in  the  only  place  where,  if  true, 
it  should  have  originated. 

Critics  of  the  meager  biographical  material  furnished  by 
Lincoln  lifted  their  eyebrows  a  little  in  1860,  and  by  the  time 
the  Copperheads  were  doing  their  most  evil  work  a  full- 
fledged  scandal  was  in  circulation.  But  Hodgenville  had 
never  heard  of  it. 

Not  till  Lincoln  was  a  candidate  the  second  time  did  a  re 
port  reach  Hodgenville  in  any  way  derogatory  to  the  moral 
character  of  Nancy  Hanks.  Hodgenville  did  not  make  the  dis 
covery  by  any  search  of  local  records;  this  gossip  filtered  in 
from  the  outside  world.  Hodgenville  had  little  pride  in  Lin 
coln  during  the  war,  and  there  were  many  people  there  who 
were  not  unwilling  to  believe  the  story. 

The  question  about  Lincoln's  legitimacy  was  discussed  at 
Elizabethtown  before  it  made  its  way  to  La  Rue  County.  The 


160    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

frequent  convening  of  court  in  that  county  brought  to  town 
politicians  who,  in  conversation  with  Samuel  Haycraft,  learned 
that  he  had  been  unable  to  locate  the  certificate  of  marriage  of 
Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln.  This  did  not  at  first  carry  with 
it  any  necessity  for  the  finding  of  another  man,  for  it  did  not, 
in  its  first  form,  imply  that  Thomas  Lincoln  was  not  Abra 
ham's  father.  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  were  living  together 
as  husband  and  wife  when  their  son  Abraham  was  born,  and 
the  fact  was  not  questioned  in  Hardin  County,  and  has  never 
been  questioned  there  to  this  day.  If  they  were  not  legally 
married,  theirs  was  a  common  law  marriage,  and  Thomas  was 
still  the  father.  No  one  needed  to  go  to  Hodgenville  to  learn 
anything  about  this,  for  the  records  were  not  there,  but  pre 
sumably  in  Elizabethtown  if  anywhere.  Whatever  gossip 
there  was  from  1860  to  1865  was  wholly  on  the  assumption 
that  Thomas  was  still  the  father  of  Abraham. 

Of  this  we  have  an  interesting  testimonial  in  Lamon's 
'Life  of  Lincoln: 

"  It  is  admitted  by  all  the  old  residents  of  the  place  that 
they  were  honestly  married,  but  precisely  when  or  how  no 
one  can  tell"  (p.  10). 

This  is  on  the  basis  of  what  Herndon  learned  in  his  visit 
to  the  spot  in  1865;  and  it  must  not  be  forgotten.  In  1865 
the  neighbors  had  not  begun  to  mention  Abraham  Enlow  or 
any  other  man  to  any  extent  that  Herndon  could  learn  through 
inquiry  on  the  ground.  The  certificate  had  not  been  found, 
but  all  the  neighbors  believed  they  were  married. 

This  is  proof  positive  that  no  tradition  had  ever  existed 
in  the  vicinity  of  her  home  and  dating  from  the  event 
that  charged  Nancy  Hanks  with  being  other  than  a  virtuous 
woman.  The  statement  of  Herndon  is  in  accord  with  all  that 
I  have  later  learned  by  the  most  diligent  search;  except  that 
there  began  to  be  question  whether  there  had  been  an  actual 
marriage,  though  at  this  stage  no  question  of  Thomas  Lin 
coln's  paternity. 

Furthermore,  Nancy  Hanks  herself  left  no  vestige  of  a 
memory  of  her  own  personality  upon  her  neighbors  in  Eliza 
bethtown,  so  far  as  could  be  discovered  in  1860.  She  lived 


ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN      161 

there  with  her  husband  from  the  summer  of  1806  till  the 
spring  of  1808,  but  no  one  remembered  her  when  in  1860  it 
became  known  that  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  was  born  in  Har- 
din  County,  was  nominated  for  the  presidency.  Perhaps  the 
two  most  prominent  families  in  Elizabethtown  were  the  Helms 
and  the  Haycrafts.  The  Helms  should  have  known  something 
about  the  Lincolns,  for  Major  General  Ben  Hardin  Helm, 
later  of  the  Confederate  army,  married  a  half  sister  of  Mary 
Todd  Lincoln  and  she  is  still  living  and  has  written  to  me ;  but 
when  the  Helm  family  began  the  process  of  remembering  what 
they  could  recall  about  the  Lincolns,  the  stones  which  they 
furnished  to  Collins  for  his  History  of  Kentucky  went  back 
not  to  Nancy  Hanks,  but  to  Sarah  Bush  Johnston,  whom,  at 
the  beginning  f  they  supposed  to  have  been  the  mother  of  Lin 
coln.  The  story  as  printed  by  Collins  is  edited  to  make  her 
his  step-mother,  and  it  is  a  story  of  no  importance  in  itself; 
but  it  shows  two  things :  first,  that  the  memory  of  Nancy  Hanks 
had  completely  faded  from  Elizabethtown;  and  secondly,  that 
the  little  incident  on  which  the  story  in  Collins  was  based, 
never  occurred.  They  were  mistaken  both  as  to  the  fact  and 
the  relationship. 

When  Samuel  Haycraft  wrote  to  Lincoln  in  an  endeavor 
to  establish  a  relationship,  his  knowledge  was  not  of  Nancy 
Hanks  but  of  Sarah  Johnston,  whom  in  1860  he  supposed  to 
have  been  the  mother  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

These  facts  are  conclusive,  and  they  do  not  stand  alone, 
in  their  complete  proof  that  there  was  in  Hardin  and  La  Rue 
Counties  in  1860  no  memory  of  any  charge  against  the  chastity 
of  Nancy  Hanks. 

Reference  should  be  made,  however,  to  the  story  written 
out  for  Herndon  in  August,  1865,  by  J.  B.  Helm,  which  Hern- 
don  published  in  his  Life  of  Lincoln: 

The  Hanks  girls  were  great  at  camp-meetings.  I  remem 
ber  one  in  1806.  I  will  give  you  a  scene,  and  if  you  will  then 
read  the  books  written  on  the  subject  you  may  find  some 
apology  for  the  superstition  that  was  said  to  be  in  Abe  Lin 
coln's  character.  It  was  at  a  camp-meeting,  as  before  said, 
when  a  general  shout  was  about  to  commence.  Preparations 


162    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

were  being  made;  a  young  lady  invited  me  to  stand  on  a  bench 
by  her  side  where  we  could  see  all  over  the  altar.  To  the  right  a 
strong,  athletic  young  man,  about  twenty  five  years  old,  was 
being  put  in  trim  for  the  occasion,  which  was  done  by  divest 
ing  him  of  all  apparel  except  shirt  and  pants.  On  the  left 
a  young  lady  was  being  put  in  trim  in  much  the  same  manner, 
so  that  her  clothes  would  not  be  in  the  way,  and  so  that,  when 
her  combs  flew  out,  her  hair  would  go  in  graceful  braids. 
She,  too,  was  young — not  more  than  twenty,  perhaps.  The 
performance  commenced  about  the  same  time  by  the  young 
man  on  the  right  and  the  young  lady  on  the  left.  Slowly  and 
gracefully  they  worked  their  way  to  the  center,  singing,  shout 
ing,  hugging,  kissing,  generally  their  own  sex,  until  at  last, 
nearer  and  nearer  they  came.  The  center  of  the  altar  was 
reached,  and  the  two  closed,  with  their  arms  around  each 
other,  the  man  singing  and  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 

"  I  have  my  Jesus  in  my  arms, 
Sweet  as  honey,  strong  as  bacon  ham." 

Just  at  this  moment  the  young  lady  holding  to  my  arm 
whispered,  "  They  are  to  be  married  next  week,  her  name  is 
Hanks."  There  were  very  few  who  did  not  believe  this  true 
religion,  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  man  who  did  not 
believe  it  did  well  to  keep  it  to  himself.  The  Hankses  were 
the  finest  singers  and  shouters  in  our  country. 

Concerning  this  incident  Herndon  adds: 

Here  my  informant  stops,  and  on  account  of  his  death 
several  years  ago  I  failed  to  learn  whether  this  young  lady 
shouter  who  figured  in  the  foregoing  scene  was  the  President's 
mother  or  not.  The  fact  that  Nancy  Hanks  did  marry  in 
that  year  gives  color  to  the  belief  that  it  was  she.  As  to  the 
probability  of  the  young  man  being  Thomas  Lincoln  it  is 
difficult  to  say;  such  a  performance  as  the  one  described  must 
have  required  a  little  more  emotion  and  enthusiasm  than  the 
tardy  and  inert  carpenter  was  in  the  habit  of  manifesting. — 
Herndon' s  Lincoln,  Vol.  I,  pp.  14-15. 

I  was  not  present,  but  I  am  willing  to  express  an  opinion 
which  is  based  on  a  pretty  intimate  knowledge  of  social  and 
religious  life  of  the  Kentucky  hills,  that  if  the  young  lady 


ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN      163 

in  the  above  scene  was  Nancy  Hanks,  and  she  was  to  have 
been  married  a  week  later,  the  young  man  was  Thomas  Lin 
coln.  Even  in  such  incidents  there  were  certain  conventions 
to  be  observed;  as  Mr.  Helm  notes  the  hugging  and  kissing, 
though  miscellaneous,  was  confined  to  persons  of  the  same  sex 
in  practically  all  cases  (and  for  the  exceptions  if  listed  some 
reason  would  appear  for  the  exception)  until  these  two  met 
who  were  known  to  be  betrothed  and  about  to  be  married. 
The  incident  simply  would  not  have  occurred,  with  the  ap 
proval  and  assistance  of  the  large  company,  except  on  the 
basis  of  some  such  general  knowledge. 

It  would  not  be  safe  to  assume  that  this  couple  consisted 
of  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks.  Thomas  and  Nancy 
were  both  older  than  the  couple  described,  and  were  probably 
both  in  Washington  County  preparing  for  the  wedding.  More 
over,  if  Mr.  Helm  is  correct  in  his  dates,  it  was  certainly  not 
this  couple;  for  farmers  did  not  leave  their  corn-plowing  for 
camp-meetings  the  first  of  June.  Camp-meetings  were  held 
in  the  autumn.  If  this  occurred  in  1806,  Thomas  and  Nancy 
were  married  and  she  was  pregnant  with  little  Sarah  before  the 
camp-meeting  season. 

Mr.  Helm  was  an  old  man  when  he  told  this  story.  He  had 
to  go  back  sixty  years  for  the  details  of  it,  and  sixty  years 
is  a  long  time  and  plays  havoc  with  details  in  an  old  man's 
memory.  Perhaps  he  did  not  remember  everything  exactly  as 
it  occurred.  Perhaps  the  young  lady  with  whom  he  was  pres 
ent  at  the  camp-meeting,  and  to  whom  if  he  made  love  he 
probably  did  it  less  publicly,  was  mistaken  as  to  the  name  of 
the  girl.  Besides,  there  were  other  girls  by  the  name  of  Hanks, 
and  others  beside  the  Hanks  girls  who  shouted  and  were 
hugged  at  camp-meetings. 

But  even  if  the  young  lady  was  correct,  and  Helm  was  ac 
curate,  and  the  girl  was  Nancy  Hanks  and  the  young  man 
Thomas  Lincoln,  the  incident  is  to  be  judged  in  the  light 
of  the  customs  of  the  time  and  the  standards  of  propriety 
then  prevalent.  Assuming  that  the  girl  was  Nancy,  the  young 
man  was  Tom,  or  there  would  have  been  murder  just  after 
the  benediction.  That  noisy,  ridiculous  exhibition  merely 


164    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

showed  that  a  couple  betrothed  and  on  the  threshold  of  matri 
mony,  sometimes  mixed  their  religion  and  their  love-making 
in  proportions  not  in  good  taste.  But  that,  I  beg  leave  to 
assure  any  persons  who  like  myself  were  not  there,  and  who 
unlike  myself  have  no  knowledge  of  camp-meetings  and  other 
noisy  religious  demonstrations  among  people  in  the  back 
woods,  does  not  even  by  inference  or  implication  militate 
against  the  chastity  of  Nancy  Hanks. 

Personally,  I  deem  the  incident  as  containing  no  proof  that 
Nancy  Hanks  was  a  participant  in  it;  but  if  she  was,  whatever 
happened  in  the  description  was  in  broad  daylight,  in  full  view 
of  a  congregation,  and  was  in  accord  with  the  ethical  standards 
of  the  time. 

A  good  many  things  occurred  around  the  fringes  of  camp- 
meetings  that  ought  not  to  have  occurred.  There  was  almost 
always  a  boot-legger  with  whisky.  There  were  frequent  rights. 
It  was  not  at  all  infrequent  for  a  crowd  of  toughs  to  attempt  to 
break  up  the  meeting,  and  for  the  preachers  to  show  that 
they  belonged  to  the  church-militant.  There  were  other  evils 
which  found  opportunity  for  occurrence  at  various  hiding 
places  in  the  woods  and  which  need  not  here  be  described. 
But  the  old-fashioned  camp-meeting  was  an  event  of  no  little 
social  and  religious  significance,  and  it  did  more  good  than 
harm. 

I  am  not  undertaking,  however,  to  defend  the  old  camp- 
meetings,  none  of  which  I  ever  organized  or  conducted,  but 
in  some  of  which  I  have  participated  as  a  preacher  by  invita 
tion.  I  am  saying,  and  wish  to  say  it  very  plainly,  that  while 
such  meetings  were  the  scenes  of  demonstrations  which  I 
never  enjoyed  and  do  not  defend,  the  things  that  happened  out 
in  the  open,  even  if  in  as  bad  taste  as  those  described  by  Mr. 
Helm,  were  not  immoral.  No  couple  who  had  come  to  camp- 
meeting  for  immoral  purposes  would  have  advertised  the  fact 
or  set  the  whole  camp  to  watching  them  by  any  such  an  exhibi 
tion.  Nor  would  two  persons  known  to  be  immoral  have  been 
permitted  a  leading  place  in  such  a  demonstration. 

If  Nancy  Hanks  was  publicly  hugged  at  a  camp-meeting 
a  week  before  her  marriage,  as  I  think  she  was  not,  it  was 


ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN      165 

her  own  husband  of  a  week  later  who  hugged  her.  And  that 
is  a  safe  place  to  dismiss  the  matter. 

The  next  discovery  which  I  made  upon  a  careful  survey 
of  the  ground,  and  study  of  roads  and  distances  and  home- 
sites,  was  that  in  all  probability  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln  had 
never  seen  Abraham  Enlow  at  the  time  of  her  conception. 

Here  I  am  greatly  indebted  to  certain  local  attorneys, 
whose  assistance  I  acknowledge.  Hon.  Richard  W.  Creal, 
County  Judge,  who  was  born  on  the  Lincoln  Farm,  Mr.  O.  M. 
Mather,  local  historian,  great-grandson  of  several  pioneers  of 
Hodgenville,  Mr.  Charles  F.  Creal,  partner  of  Mr.  Mather 
and  a  descendant  of  the  family  that  owned  the  Lincoln  Farm, 
and  Mr.  L.  B.  Handley,  attorney  for  the  Lincoln  Farm  Asso 
ciation,  gave  me  the  fruits  of  their  research  and  assisted  me  in 
further  investigation. 

When  the  Lincoln  Farm  Association  was  formed  for  the 
purchase  of  the  birthplace  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  which  sub 
sequently  turned  the  birthplace  and  farm  over  to  the  United 
States  Government,  it  became  important  to  prove  to  the  satis 
faction  of  those  who  were  to  pay  their  money  in  the  first  place 
and  of  the  Government  afterward,  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
actually  born  there.  Washington  County  set  up  a  claim  that  he 
was  born  in  that  county,  in  the  home  of  Richard  Berry,  and 
Washington  County  still  insists  that  that  claim  is  well  founded. 
It  became  necessary  to  learn  just  when  Thomas  and  Nancy 
Lincoln  first  occupied  the  Lincoln  Farm  on  Nolin  Creek.  The 
investigation,  as  Mr.  Handley  informs  me,  and  the  others 
agree,  clearly  established  that  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln 
moved  from  Elizabethtown  in  the  late  spring  or  early  sum 
mer  of  1808,  not  to  the  farm  aforesaid,  but  to  the  farm  of 
George  Brownfield,  where  they  lived  during  that  summer  and 
fall  in  a  cabin  no  longer  standing  but  located  in  the  orchard 
of  wild  crab-apples  already  described.  That  was  where  the 
life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  began,  unless  it  had  begun  before  the 
removal  of  his  parents  from  Elizabethtown,  though  he  was 
born  in  the  cabin  above  the  Rock  Spring,  on  Nolin  Creek,  on 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Lincoln  Farm. 

When  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born,  on  the  Rock  Spring 


166    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

farm,  on  Nolin  Creek,  two  and  one  half  miles  south  of  the 
present  town  of  Hodgenville,  the  Enlows  lived  some  two  miles 
distant,  and  were  among  the  nearest  neighbors  of  the  Lincolns. 
But  the  date  which  immediately  concerns  us  is  not  the  date  of 
Abraham's  birth,  but  of  his  conception.  Where  were  Thomas 
and  Nancy  Lincoln  living  at  that  time? 

The  normal  period  of  gestation  is  ten  lunar  months,  or  two 
hundred  eighty  days.  Where  were  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lin 
coln  living  on  May  8,  or  about  that  date,  in  the  year  1808? 

They  were  not  living  on  the  farm  where  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  born  ten  lunar  months  later.  We  do  not  know  that  they 
had  ever  seen  that  farm  or  heard  of  it.  Some  authors  have 
told  us  that  Thomas  Lincoln  bought  that  farm  in  1803,  and 
had  long  been  at  work  erecting  a  home  there.  The  farm 
which  came  into  his  possession  in  1803  was  many  miles  from 
Rock  Spring,  and  has  no  place  in  the  life-story  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  We  do  not  know  that  Thomas  Lincoln  had  bought 
a  farm  at  the  time  of  his  removal  from  ElizabethtOAvn.  So 
far  as  we  know,  he  removed  because  he  had  employment 
offered  him  by  George  Brownfield;  and  while  working  there 
learned  of  a  farm  with  a  poor  and  unoccupied  cabin  and  a 
good  spring,  where  he  would  be  permitted  to  squat  with  right 
of  purchase  if  he  found  himself  able  to  purchase  it.  That  he 
built  the  cabin  is  unproved  and  improbable,  and,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  this  narrative,  unimportant.  He  certainly  was  not  liv 
ing  there  in  May  of  1808;  we  have  no  slightest  proof  that  he 
or  Nancy  had  ever  set  foot  upon  the  farm  in  May,  1808. 

The  precise  date  of  removal  from  Elizabethtown  must 
come  up  again.  There  are  some  interesting  and  important 
documents,  hitherto  unpublished,  which  help  us  to  determine 
the  approximate  date.  But  for  our  present  purpose,  let  it  be 
made  perfectly  clear  that  Nancy  Lincoln  did  not  live  in  the 
Enlow  neighborhood  until  several  months  after  May  8,  1808. 

She  did  not  at  this  time  wander  very  far  away  from  home 
in  quest  of  men.  She  was  caring  for  a  baby  daughter,  Sarah, 
born  February  10,  1807,  and  just  fifteen  months  old  when 
the  unborn  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  began.  In  Elizabethtown, 
where  she  had  spent  the  whole  of  her  married  life,  the  tongue 


ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN      167 

of  scandal  never  named  her;  and  she  was  either  just  leaving 
Elizabethtown,  or  had  just  left  it,  when  she  became  pregnant. 

He  who  will  know  the  truth  of  this  story  should  go  to 
La  Rue  County,  and  travel  the  roads,  and  find  where  the 
blazed  trees  in  1808  marked  bridle  paths  through  the  thick 
woods,  and  study  the  problem  with  the  county  map  before 
him.  He  will  find  that  when  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln 
first  came  to  live  in  that  part  of  Hardin  County  which  is  now 
La  Rue,  no  road  to  mill  or  meeting  or  to  the  county  seat 
took  Abraham  Enlow  past  the  Lincoln  door.  Ten  months 
later,  when  the  Lincolns  were  in  their  own  home,  he  passed 
the  house  on  his  way  to  mill;  but  in  May,  1808,  there  was 
nothing  to  call  him  to  her  door  or  her  to  his.  Their  homes  lay 
eight  miles  apart,  through  dense  forests,  inhabited  by  bear 
and  wolf  and  panther,  and  across  deep  streams. 

Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln  left  no  scandal  behind  her  in  Eliza 
bethtown.  If  she  was  pregnant  when  she  left,  the  fact  was 
unknown,  even  to  herself.  If  she  became  pregnant  after  her 
arrival  in  her  new  home,  it  was  immediately  after,  and  be 
fore  she  had  time  or  opportunity  to  form  acquaintance. 

This,  then,  is  my  first  reason  for  not  believing  that  Abra 
ham  Lincoln  was  the  son  of  Abraham  Enlow,  that  in  all 
human  probability,  at  the  time  the  unborn  life  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  began,  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln  had  never  seen  Abraham 
Enlow. 

We  meet  then,  the  question,  Why  then  did  Thomas  Lincoln 
and  Abraham  Enlow  engage  in  that  bitter  fight  in  which  Enlow 
lost  his  nose,  and  by  reason  of  which,  in  good  part,  Thomas 
Lincoln  decided  to  leave  Kentucky?  Lamon  tells  the  story  of 
that  fight: 

As  time  wore  on,  the  infelicities  of  (Thomas)  Lincoln's 
life  in  this  neighborhood  became  insupportable.  He  was 
gaining  neither  riches  nor  credit;  and  being  a  wanderer  by 
natural  inclination,  began  to  long  for  a  change.  His  decision, 
however,  was  hastened  by  certain  troubles  which  culminated 
in  a  desperate  combat  between  him  and  one  Abraham  Enlow. 
They  fought  like  savages;  but  Lincoln  obtained  a  signal  and 
permanent  advantage  by  biting  off  the  nose  of  his  antagonist, 


168    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

so  that  he  went  bereft  all  the  days  of  his  life,  and  published 
his  audacity  and  its  punishment  wherever  he  showed  his  face. 
But  the  affray,  and  the  fame  of  it,  made  Lincoln  more  anxious 
than  ever  to  escape  from  Kentucky.  He  resolved,  therefore,  to 
leave  these  scenes  forever,  and  seek  a  roof-tree  beyond  the 
Ohio. — LAMON,  Life  of  Lincoln,  p.  16. 

This  fight,  as  thus  recorded,  is  in  its  implications  the  worst 
feature  of  the  whole  story.  No  one  who  knows  the  Enlow 
story  and  reads  this  account  can  be  in  doubt  what  was  the 
"  audacity  "  of  Abraham  Enlow.  Even  as  lethargic  a  man  as 
Thomas  Lincoln  could  be  roused  to  desperation  over  a  matter 
of  that  character. 

So  we  do  well  to  go  to  the  bottom  of  the  question  about 
the  fight  in  which  Thomas  Lincoln  is  alleged  to  have  bitten 
off  the  nose  of  Abraham  Enlow. 

So  far  as  is  known,  Thomas  Lincoln  never  intimated  to 
any  one  that  his  leaving  Kentucky  was  related  in  any  fashion 
to  his  alleged  fight  with  Enlow.  Conjecture  only,  and  that  long 
years  and  decades  after  the  alleged  affray  and  the  departure, 
invented  a  relation  between  them.  But  if  it  be  admitted  that 
there  was  a  connection,  it  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  why  it 
may  have  occurred.  Family  feeling  in  that  region  ran  high, 
and  the  Enlow  family  was  large,  and  related  to  most  of  the 
old  families,  while  Lincoln  was  alone.  If  his  fight  with  Enlow 
left  the  latter  smarting  under  a  visible  and  unpleasant  dis 
ability  which  he  could  not  be  permitted  to  forget,  there  was 
reason  to  expect  that  sooner  or  later  Thomas  Lincoln  would 
encounter  more  Enlows  than  he  desired,  and  no  one  could 
predict  the  character  of  their  revenge.  It  was  a  primitive 
region  in  which  men  fought  with  guns  and  knives  as  well 
as  with  fists  and  teeth.  No  matter  what  the  original  occasion 
of  the  fight;  the  thing  now  to  expect  was  revenge  for  Abe 
Enlow's  lost  nose. 

If  this  was  the  situation,  Thomas  Lincoln  did  well  to 
gather  his  wife  and  his  two  small  children  and  his  meager 
supply  of  household  goods,  and  float  downstream  to  the  Ohio 
River,  and  across  into  Indiana. 

We  meet,  however,  with  this  element  of  improbability  in 


ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN      169 

the  story.  If  this  fight  was  an  immediate  cause  of  Thomas 
Lincoln's  migration  from  Kentucky,  it  occurred  eight  years 
and  more  after  the  offense  which  it  was  supposed  to  avenge. 
Thomas  Lincoln  may  have  been  slow  to  wrath,  but  that  was  a 
long  time,  even  for  him. 

Furthermore,  as  one  will  discover  who  visits  the  region, 
the  removal  of  the  Lincoln  family  to  the  Knob  Creek  farm 
had  effectually  taken  them  out  of  the  Enlow  country.  Mul- 
draugh's  Hill  was  a  marked  social  barrier  between  the  region 
that  faced  toward  Bardstown,  Lebanon  and  Springfield  toward 
the  east,  and  the  country  tributary  to  Elizabethtown  on  the 
west.  No  longer  did  Thomas  Lincoln  send  his  grist  to  Hod- 
gen's  Mill  or  the  Mather  mill  or  the  Kirkpatrick  mill.  He 
was  out  of  the  neighborhood,  removed  by  a  goodly  number 
of  miles,  and  by  a  very  high  ridge  that  formed  a  community 
barrier  from  the  associates  of  his  former  home.  He  still 
went  to  court  at  Elizabethtown,  and  in  the  very  last  year  of 
his  residence  on  Knob  Creek  was  appointed  Road  Surveyor 
in  his  district,  but  as  for  the  rest,  he  had  ceased  to  be  resident 
of  the  neighborhood  when  Abraham  was  born.  For  that  mat 
ter,  he  removed  from  there,  as  I  have  some  reason  to  believe, 
much  sooner  than  is  commonly  supposed. 

But  before  we  go  to  fatiguing  lengths  in  our  endeavor  to 
learn  the  occasion  of  the  savage  fight  between  Thomas  Lincoln 
and  Abraham  Enlow,  let  us  ask  the  innocent  question,  Was 
there  any  such  fight? 

The  answer  is,  There  was  no  such  fight. 

This  discovery,  I  confess,  surprised  me.  Lamon  makes  his 
statement  so  unqualifiedly  that  I  supposed  of  course  he  was 
correct,  and  that  Abraham  Enlow  went  to  his  grave  in  1861 
having  spent  the  last  forty-five  years  of  his  life  without  the 
nose  that  Thomas  Lincoln  had  bitten  off.  I  found  that  the 
men  in  and  about  Hodgenville  who  know  most  about  Lincoln 
and  most  about  Enlow  had  never  heard  of  the  fight.  So  far 
as  I  know,  there  is  no  copy  of  Lamon's  book  in  that  county; 
it  is  a  scarce  book,  and  La  Rue  County  is  not  extravagant  in  its 
book  purchases.  I  asked  lawyers,  judges,  county  officials,  and 
men  long  resident,  and  not  one  of  them  had  ever  heard  the 


170    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

faintest  rumor  that  Thomas  Lincoln  ever  fought  with  any 
one,  or  that  Abraham  Enlow  ever  was  a  fighting  man. 

I  inquired  about  his  maimed  nose;  and  men  who  knew 
him  declare  that  he  displayed  no  such  deformity.  I  had  to 
stop  asking  the  question  direct  lest  I  start  a  new  scandal; 
but  I  inquired  in  general  terms,  and  what  I  learned  was  that, 
far  from  remembering  the  Lincolns  with  feelings  of  bitter 
resentment,  Abraham  Enlow  was  as  proud  to  have  been  a 
neighbor  of  the  Lincolns  as  so  rock-ribbed  a  Democrat  could 
possibly  have  been  in  the  days  of  the  Civil  War.  His  reminis 
cences  were  few,  but  they  were  friendly.  That  he  should  have 
had  any  such  fight  as  Lamon  described  is  absurd.  The  best 
informed  residents  affirm  that  there  is  absolutely  nothing  on 
which  such  a  lie  can  be  based.  The  Enlows  and  Lincolns 
were  on  good  terms  so  long  as  they  lived  in  the  same  neighbor 
hood,  and  parted  with  no  unhappy  memories. 

The  story  has  positively  no  local  root.  It  cannot  be 
grafted  upon  any  event  which  bred  a  scandal  at  the  time  and 
caused  the  name  of  Nancy  Lincoln  to  be  spoken  in  derision 
by  men  and  whispered  innuendo  by  women. 

Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  had  all  the  appearance  of 
living  together  happily.  They  came  to  La  Rue  County  hon 
estly  married,  and  lived  in  that  county  for  several  years.  It 
is  not  known  that  they  ever  quarreled  there  or  elsewhere. 
They  had  three  children  during  those  years,  one  of  whom  died, 
and  the  other  two  went  with  them  as  together  they  rode 
through  the  woods  to  their  new  home  in  Indiana.  Shiftless  as 
Thomas  Lincoln  was,  he  is  not  known  to  have  left  any  bad 
debts  behind  him,  nor  was  he  suspected  of  carrying  away 
with  him  any  of  the  property  or  any  of  the  children  of  any 
other  man. 

In  pursuing  these  inquiries  in  the  vicinity  of  Hodgenville, 
the  author  came  upon  one  dim  and  indistinct  tradition  which 
purported  to  have  come  down  among  the  women  of  that  neigh 
borhood.  It  was  of  the  kindness  of  Thomas  Lincoln  to  Nancy 
after  her  baby  boy  was  born.  When  the  story  that  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  the  son  of  another  man  came  to  Hodgenville 
about  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  there  were  women  living 


ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN      171 

whose  memory  went  back  to  that  time,  and  who  professed  to 
recall  that  Thomas  Lincoln  was  more  kind  to  his  wife  at  that 
time  than  husbands  sometimes  are.  His  first  child  had  been 
a  daughter;  and  it  seems  that  he  and  Nancy  were  hoping 
that  the  next  one  would  be  a  son.  In  the  rude  hut  where  she 
lay  with  her  baby  beside  her,  she  lifted  her  wan  face  to  her 
husband's  with  a  tearful  smile  of  satisfaction;  she  had  given 
him  a  boy.  And  the  older  women  of  the  years  just  after 
the  war,  remembered  that  he  was  proud  of  the  boy,  and  very 
tender  toward  Nancy. 

But  I  found  something  very  much  more  definite  than 
this  dim  half-memory,  and  something  fully  in  accord  with  it. 
I  am  able  to  present,  on  excellent  authority,  and  with  only 
one  life  between  the  statement  and  this  record,  the  testimony 
of  a  woman  who  was  a  near  neighbor  of  the  Lincolns,  a  woman 
of  about  the  age  of  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln,  and  who  was  actu 
ally  present  at  the  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

This  statement  was  made  to  me  by  Hon.  Richard  W.  Creal, 
County  Judge  of  La  Rue  County,  in  his  office,  and  I  made  notes 
of  it  as  he  spoke.  After  he  had  finished,  I  went  across  to  the 
hotel  and  wrote  it  out  within  an  hour.  Subsequently  I  had  it 
typewritten,  and  a  copy  mailed  to  Judge  Creal  in  advance  of 
my  next  visit  to  Hodgenville.  He  then  made  one  or  two 
verbal  emendations,  and  said: 

"  The  report  which  you  have  made  is  entirely  accurate, 
and  you  place  great  emphasis,  and  properly,  upon  the  first 
hand  testimony  of  Margaret  Walters.  But  I  use  that  incident 
as  in  a  way  representative  of  the  testimony,  positive  and 
negative,  of  all  the  old  people  who  lived  neighbor  to  the 
Lincolns  and  were  still  living  in  1864.  As  I  remember  their 
conversation,  the  most  convincing  fact  is  their  silence  upon 
any  aspect  of  the  life  of  the  Lincoln  family  that  could  have 
expressed  or  delicately  concealed  a  scandal.  The  outspoken 
word  of  Margaret  Walters,  which  you  value  as  the  testimony 
of  a  woman  actually  present  at  the  birth  of  Lincoln,  stands 
to  me  rather  as  the  testimony  of  the  whole  neighborhood. 
Boy  though  I  was,  I  heard  all  the  neighborhood  talk.  Had 
there  been  any  question  about  the  Lincolns,  it  would  have  been 


172    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

heard  by  me  at  some  time  in  a  tone  that  a  boy  would  not 
have  failed  to  understand  as  at  least  mysterious  or  implying 
a  question.  There  was  no  such  expression.  And  when  the 
slander  came  first  to  this  neighborhood,  and  in  its  first 
form  without  the  name  of  any  particular  man  attached,  my 
father  and  his  brother  and  Jack  McDougal  and  all  who  had 
known  Thomas  Lincoln  or  known  those  who  knew  him,  were 
outspoken  in  their  refusal  to  credit  it.  To  be  sure,  the  rumor 
made  headway.  Those  old  people  were  few,  and  they  did  not 
live  long,  and  the  story  did  not  die.  But  the  people  who  had 
known  the  Lincolns  did  not  help  it  to  live.  The  people  who 
would  have  known  it  if  it  was  true  did  not  know  it  even  as  a 
rumor,  and  when  they  heard  it,  they  denied  it.  You  have 
quoted  me  correctly  as  to  Aunt  Peggy  Walters.  I  remember 
her  well  as  she  hobbled  on  her  crutch  down  toward  the  Rock 
Spring  when  this  matter  was  discussed  by  a  group  assembled 
there.  But  I  do  not  think  of  it  as  if  it  had  been  her  sole 
testimony.  She  knew  the  women  of  this  neighborhood.  She 
was  a  young  married  woman  at  the  time  and  later  was  a 
frequent  helper  as  a  midwife.  She  was  getting  some  of  her 
early  experience  in  this  art  when  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born. 
She  was  a  woman  of  ability  and  character,  and  her  word  was 
perfectly  good.  Her  memory  was  clear,  and  she  knew  the 
facts  which  she  related.  But  what  I  have  given  you  as  from 
her  stands  out  in  my  own  mind  rather  as  the  united  judgment 
of  the  people  who  had  known  the  Lincolns  and  who  talked 
about  them  that  day  at  the  spring,  in  what  I  am  confident  was 
the  year  1864." 

I  accept  this  statement  of  Judge  Creal,  as  confirming  the 
report  which  I  am  about  to  quote,  and  of  strengthening  it. 
I  place  great  value  on  it  as  the  first-hand  testimony  of  a 
woman  of  unquestioned  veracity,  who  was  among  the  near 
est  neighbors  of  the  Lincolns,  and  present  at  Abraham  Lin 
coln's  birth;  and  it  gains  in  force  in  every  aspect  by  his 
statement  as  given  to  me  above,  that  the  words  of  Margaret 
Walters  *  was  virtually  the  word  of  the  whole  neighborhood. 

1  Margaret  La  Rue  Walters  was  born  December  u,  1789,  and  was 
the  youngest  daughter  of  John  La  Rue  for  whom  La  Rue  County  was 


ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN      173 

CONCERNING  THE  PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 
STATEMENT  OF   HON.   R.    W.   CREAL 

Judge  of  La  Rue  County  Court,  Hodgenville,  La  Rue  County,  Kentucky 

I  was  born  on  the  Lincoln  farm.  Richard  Creal,  my 
father,  purchased  it  between  1825  and  1830.  He  was  born  in 
1 80 1.  His  birth  occurred  near  the  site  of  the  present  village 
of  Buffalo.  Population  was  very  sparse  at  that  time.  Robert 
Hodgen  was  here,  and  had  established  Hodgen's  Mill.  There 
was  another  mill,  the  Mather  mill  some  miles  distant,  and 
there  was  also  the  Kirkpatrick  mill.  These  mills  used  small 
burr  stones,  driven  by  overshot  wheels  of  local  manufacture. 

My  father's  brother  knew  Thomas  Lincoln;  my  father 
did  not,  but  knew  his  reputation.  Thomas  Lincoln  was  re 
spected  by  his  neighbors.  He  was  a  man  of  good  mind  and 
strong  character,  but  had  no  advantages,  and  was  diffident, 
reserved,  quiet. 

I  grew  up  on  the  farm  where  Abraham  Lincoln  spent 
his  first  years,  and  was  one  of  the  heirs  who  sold  it  to  A.  W. 
Dennett. 

I  knew  Margaret  Walters,  locally  known  as  "  Aunt  Peggy," 
who  assisted  the  midwife  at  the  birth  of  Lincoln.  She  died  at 
a  great  age,  somewhere  about  1864.  She  was  on  crutches  the 
last  time  I  saw  her,  shortly  before  her  death.  That  interview 
occurred  at  the  Lincoln  Spring.  She  was  an  intelligent  woman, 
who  knew  all  the  women  of  this  region  in  the  period  of  Lin 
coln's  birth,  and  was  in  better  position  than  most  of  them 
to  know  of  their  character  and  to  hear  any  report  affecting  the 
reputation  of  any  of  them. 

I  was  present  on  an  occasion  when  she  spoke  of  the  pater 
nity  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  It  was  not  long  before  his  death.  I 
was  born  in  1853,  an<^  as  tms  occurred  in  1864,  I  was  eleven 
or  possibly  twelve  years  of  age. 

I  am  not  sure  who  introduced  the  subject.     It  may  have 

named.  She  was  related  to  nearly  all  the  original  pioneers  by  birth  or 
marriage.  She  married  Conrad  Walters,  and  became  the  mother  of  a 
large  family,  who  intermarried  with  most  of  the  prominent  families  of 
the  county.  She  was  married  and  twenty  years  of  age  when  Lincoln 
was  born,  and  her  memory  was  clear  until  her  death.  She  died  October 
26,  1864.  Any  one  who  is  disposed  to  call  her  veracity  in  question  would 
do  well  to  keep  away  from  La  Rue  County,  or  to  go  prepared  to  discuss 
the  matter  with  a  large  number  of  tall  and  muscular  men. 


174    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

been  Jack  McDougal,  whom  I  remember  as  present,  but  I 
think  it  was  some  one  of  a  group  of  women  who  were  there. 
Some  one  spoke  of  the  rumor  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  not 
the  son  of  Thomas  Lincoln. 

Aunt  Peggy  Walters  denied  it  vigorously.  She  said,  "  Mrs. 
Lincoln  was  a  fine  woman."  She  affirmed  that  at  that  time  she 
knew  every  woman  who  lived  in  this  vicinity,  knew  their 
reputation,  was  on  terms  such  that  any  such  report  concern 
ing  any  of  them  was  almost  certain  to  come  to  her,  and  that 
she  never  heard  during  the  lifetime  of  Mrs.  Thomas  Lincoln 
any  charge  or  rumor  affecting  her  moral  character. 

In  my  judgment  this  statement  which  I  heard  is  entitled 
to  very  great  weight.  Mrs.  Walters  was  an  intelligent  woman, 
and  a  woman  of  character  and  veracity.  I  am  confident  that 
if  Mrs.  Lincoln  had  borne  during  her  lifetime  any  reputation 
of  unfaithfulness  to  her  marriage  obligation,  Mrs.  Walters 
would  certainly  have  heard  of  it,  and  would  have  been  a  good 
judge  of  its  probable  truthfulness.  The  fact  that  she  not  only 
did  not  believe  it,  but  never  heard  it  until  nearly  a  half  century 
after  the  Lincolns  had  removed  from  here,  is,  in  my  judgment, 
almost  conclusive  evidence  that  the  story  is  untrue. 

I  cannot  learn  that  the  report  had  any  existence  in  this 
county  at  the  time  that  the  Lincolns  resided  here,  nor  until 
Abraham  Lincoln  had  risen  to  fame. 

My  father  knew  of  these  reports  when  they  were  cur 
rent  here,  and  so  did  my  brother.  Both  of  them  knew  the 
reputation  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  and  neither  of  them  credited 
the  rumors. 

The  older  people  of  this  county  knew  nothing  about  these 
rumors  until  Mr.  Lincoln  wrote  to  Hardin  County,  of  which 
La  Rue  was  then  a  part,  to  obtain,  if  possible,  a  copy  of  the 
marriage  record  of  his  parents.  He  did  not  know,  and  no  one 
here  knew,  that  the  record  was  not  here  but  in  Washington 
County. 

When  these  reports  gained  currency  here,  many  years  ago, 
I  made  some  effort  to  investigate  the  truth  of  them.  I  did 
not  find  any  of  the  older  people  who  believed  them,  nor  any 
evidence  that  these  rumors  had  originated  here  out  of  any 
circumstances  that  might  properly  have  given  rise  to  suspicion, 
nor  that  they  were  known  here  or  anywhere  at  the  time  the 
events  were  alleged  to  have  occurred.  At  the  time  of  Abra- 


ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN      175 

ham  Lincoln's  birth,  all  the  neighbors  believed  him  to  be  the 
son  of  Thomas  Lincoln. 

Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  came  here  in  1806  as  hus 
band  and  wife,  having  been  legally  married,  and  the  marriage 
is  of  record  in  the  county  where  it  occurred.  They  lived  here 
in  apparent  domestic  accord,  and  left  here  together,  with 
their  two  children,  both  of  them  and  the  deceased  child  born 
in  wedlock.  No  report  was  then  in  circulation  that  they  were 
not  happy  together,  and  they  continued  to  live  together  as  hus 
band  and  wife  until  the  death  of  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln.  So 
far  as  any  one  knew  then,  or  has  any  right  to  believe  now, 
they  were  both  faithful  to  each  other  until  death  separated 
them. 

I  am  only  sorry  that  such  rumors  have  ever  been  circulated. 
I  should  not  like  to  believe,  and  do  not  believe,  that  they 
originated  here.  I  know  of  no  one  who  is  closer  to  the  facts 
than  I,  and  I  cannot  think  that  these  things  could  have 
been  true  without  my  learning  some  evidence  of  the  truth  from 
some  of  the  people  of  whom  I  have  spoken. 

In  my  judgment  the  rumors  affecting  the  chastity  of 
Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln  are  wholly  without  foundation,  and  are 
a  cruel  libel  on  the  character  of  a  virtuous  woman. 

RICHARD  CREAL, 
Judge  of  La  Rue  County  Court. 

I  present  herewith  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  Abraham  Enlow 
of  Hardin,  afterward  La  Rue,  County,  Kentucky. 

Abraham  Enlow  was  the  son  of  Isom  Enlaws,  Enlows  or 
Enlow,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  part  of  Hardin  County 
which  is  now  La  Rue.  He  was  among  the  occupants  of 
Phillips'  Fort,  which  from  about  1780  or  1781  to  about  1790 
gave  shelter  and  protection  from  the  Indians  to  the  original 
inhabitants  of  the  portion  of  Hardin  County  which  now  in 
cludes  Hodgenville.  Whether  he  was  in  the  original  group 
who  built  the  fort,  the  author  is  not  certain;  but  when  the 
Indians  had  been  driven  away,  and  the  occupants  of  the  fort 
emerged  and  took  up  land,  and  erected  homesteads  outside  th$ 
stockade,  Isom  Enlow  was  among  them,  and  he  located  on  % 
farm  which  has  been  continuously  in  possession  of  the  Enlow 
family.  It  is  one  and  one  half  miles  from  the  present  site 


176    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

of  Hodgenville,  and  four  miles,  by  the  usual  course  of  travel, 
from  the  Rock  Spring  Farm,  where  Abraham  Lincoln  later 
was  born. 

Isom  Enlow  came  to  Hardin  County  unmarried.  He  be 
came  the  husband  of  Mary  Brooks,  the  widow  of  John  La 
Rue,  for  whom  the  county  was  later  named.  The  marriage 
occurred  in  1792. 

John  La  Rue  was  born  in  Virginia,  January  24,  1746,  the 
son  of  Isaac  La  Rue,  of  Frederick  County,  Virginia,  (died 
1795)  and  died  in  January,  1792,  in  Hardin  County,  and 
in  that  part  of  the  county  later  separated  and  named  for  him. 
His  wife,  Mary  Brooks,  was  born  May  3,  1766,  being  thus 
twenty  years  younger  than  her  first  husband. 

John  and  Mary  La  Rue  had  four  children,  (i)  Rebecca, 
born  1784,  married  George  Helm.  Their  oldest  child,  John  L. 
Helm,  was  born  in  1802,  and  was  Governor  of  Kentucky  at 
his  death  in  1867;  (2)  Squire  La  Rue,  named  for  Squire 
Boone,  brother  of  Daniel  Boone,  and  friend  of  John  La  Rue; 
(3)  Phebe;  (4)  Margaret  ("  Peggy  ")  was  born  1789,  married 
September  n,  1804,  Conrad  Walters.  Ben  Hardin  Helm, 
Confederate  General  who  was  killed  in  the  Civil  War,  was  a 
son  of  John  L.  Helm  (son  of  Rebecca  La  Rue  and  George 
Helm).  Ben  Hardin  Helm's  wife,  still  living,  was  Emily 
Todd,  a  half  sister  of  Mrs.  Abraham  Lincoln. 

In  the  conditions  which  prevailed  in  pioneer  society, 
widows  were  not  permitted  to  weep  long  at  the  graves  of  their 
deceased  husbands.  Mary  Brooks  La  Rue  soon  married  Isom 
Enlow.  Although  the  fact  has  no  especial  significance  for 
this  narrative,  it  may  be  of  interest  to  record  that  she  survived 
her  second  husband,  and  was  married  for  the  third  time,  to 
Thomas  W.  Rathbone.  She  died  a  few  months  after  the 
erection  of  the  new  county,  named  for  her  first  husband,  and 
her  will  is  the  second  will  on  record  in  that  county,  and  was 
probated  May  5,  1843,  tne  earliest  date  of  probate  in  La  Rue 
County. 

The  will  of  John  La  Rue,  which  is  on  record  in  Nelson 
County,  and  was  probated  May  6,  1792,  has  more  than  the 
ordinary  amount  of  formal  piety  in  its  introduction,  and  shows 


ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN      177 

great  concern  for  the  education  of  his  children.  He  left  four 
children,  the  eldest  of  whom  was  eight  years  old.  He  had 
much  land  and  several  negroes,  one  of  whom,  "  a  wench, 
Nancy,"  he  left  especially  to  his  wife,  to  be  her  own.  Mary 
La  Rue  came  therefore  to  the  home  of  Isom  Enlow  cumbered 
by  four  children,  but  with  a  generous  provision  for  their  care 
— a  provision  which  unfortunately  was  partially  lost  in  the 
administration  of  the  estate  and  in  consequent  litigation — 
and  with  Nancy  the  "  wench  "  to  assist  in  their  care,  and  in 
the  care  of  such  further  offspring  as  might  come  to  her 
through  her  second  marriage. 

This  provision  was  timely,  for  the  first  fruits  of  the  sec 
ond  marriage  was  Abraham  Enlow.  Mary  Brooks-La  Rue- 
Enlow-Rathbone  continued  to  need  all  the  help  which  the 
possession  of  Nancy  afforded;  for  though  she  bore  no  children 
by  her  last  marriage,  by  her  first  two  marriages  she  became 
the  mother  of  no  small  fraction  of  the  population  of  La  Rue 
County.  When  she  died  in  1843  she  left  172  living  descend 
ants.  She  lived  almost  to  the  time  when  persons  now  living 
could  remember  her,  and  her  record  is  a  good  one.  For  the 
facts  about  her,  and  much  beside,  I  am  indebted  to  Hon.  O.  M. 
Mather  of  Hodgenville,  whose  careful  preservation  of  historic 
data  relating  to  his  native  county  is  of  great  service  to  me. 

Isom  Enlaws,  the  second  husband  of  Mary  Brooks  La 
Rue,  and  the  father  of  Abraham  Enlaws,  Enlows  or  Enlow, 
was  a  man  of  some  prominence  in  his  day.  He  was  Sheriff 
of  Hardin  County  in  1810,  and  afterwards  for  some  years 
a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  He  died  in  July,  1816,  leaving  his 
widow  and  six  children,  two  of  whom  were  sons  and  four 
daughters. 

Nancy  was  the  only  one  of  the  slaves  of  John  La  Rue  whom 
Mary  Brooks  La  Rue  continued  to  own  after  her  marriage  with 
Isom  Enlaws.  The  executors  appear  to  have  sold  and  squan 
dered  the  rest,  or  eaten  them  up  in  law  suits.  And  she  had 
a  hard  time  keeping  Nancy  and  her  children  from  being  taken 
by  the  executors  under  the  will  of  Enlaws  after  the  death  of 
her  second  husband.  The  reports  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  of 
Kentucky  contain  record  of  the  attempt  of  her  husband's  exec- 


178    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

titors  to  take  them  away  from  her  by  legal  process,  and  of  her 
stout  and  successful  resistance.  The  case  of  Enlaws'  Execu 
tors  vs.  Mary  Enlaws  is  of  interest.  Therein  it  is  set  forth 
that, — 

Mary  Enlaws,  in  virtue  of  the  will  of  her  former  hus 
band,  John  La  Rue,  had  an  estate  for  life  in  the  slave  named 
Nancy,  and  being  possessed  thereof  in  1792,  married  Isom 
Enlaws.  After  the  marriage  of  Isom  and  Mary  Enlaws, 
Nancy  became  the  mother  of  other  slaves.  In  July,  1816, 
Isom  Enlaws  departed  this  life,  having  previously  made  and 
published  his  will,  which,  after  payment  of  his  debts,  con 
tained  the  following  clauses: 

Item.  My  will  is  that  my  property,  both  real  and  personal, 
continue  undivided  until  my  youngest  daughter,  Malvina  En- 
laws,  arrives  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  or  until  all  my 
children  are  married.  And  upon  either  of  those  events,  that 
said  property  be  divided,  share  and  share  alike,  between  my 
said  children,  to  wit, — Abraham  Enlaws,  Thomas  Brooks  En- 
laws,  Polly  Enlaws,  Lydia  Enlaws,  Betsy  Enlaws  and  Malvina 
Enlaws,  and  their  mother,  my  beloved  wife,  Mary  Enlaws. 

Item.  In  case  my  son,  Abraham  Enlaws,  should  prefer 
taking  one  hundred  acres  of  land,  to  be  stricken  off  to  him 
by  a  line  running  parallel  with  my  upper  boundary  line,  and 
including  the  house  in  which  he  lives,  in  lieu  of  the  equal 
undivided  share  in  my  landed  property,  as  mentioned  in  the 
next  preceding  item,  my  will  is  that  he  be  permitted  to  do 
so;  and  that  he  retain  possession  of  the  same  as  he  how 
holds  it. 

Malvina,  the  youngest  daughter,  was  eleven  years  old 
in  May,  1819,  and  the  executors  would  have  to  wait  ten 
years,  unless  she  died  or  married  sooner,  before  they  could 
obtain  for  the  purposes  of  sale  and  division,  the  healthy 
and  marketable  children  of  Nancy.  Malvina  was  living  with 
her  mother,  and  so  were  her  older  sisters,  Polly  and  Betsy, 
but  Lydia  was  married  before  her  father  died.  Abraham, 
for  a  time  after  his  father's  death,  came  back  and  lived 
in  his  mother's  home  and  managed  the  farm  for  her,  and 
then  accepted  his  option  under  his  father's  will,  took  his 


ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN      179 

hundred  acres  of  land,  returned  to  his  own  home,  which  he 
had  occupied  before  his  father's  death,  and  lived  and  died 
there. 

The  court  held  that  although  Nancy  had  been  left  to 
Mary  La  Rue  as  a  life  possession  under  the  will  of  John  La 
Rue,  she  became  the  property  of  Isom  Enlaws  the  moment 
they  were  married,  and  that  thereafter  Mary  had  no  estate 
in  Nancy,  except  as  she  gained  it  through  her  second  husband. 

The  court  found,  however,  that  while  Mary  had  no  right 
to  Nancy  under  the  will  of  her  first  husband,  she  had  some 
right  under  the  will  of  her  second  husband.  The  executors 
could  not  touch  Nancy  or  her  children  until  Malvina  mar 
ried  or  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one,  and  then  Mary  would 
share  in  the  division  with  her  children. 

So  Mary's  troubles  over  the  negro  Nancy  ceased,  and  so 
far  as  any  one  knows,  this  was  the  only  Nancy  who  ever 
caused  any  trouble  in  that  family. 

Isom  Enlaws  did  not  own  any  other  slaves  at  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1816,  and  Abraham  Enlows  did  not  own 
any  slaves  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1861. 

Whoever  cares  to  read  this  decision  in  full  will  find  it 
in  3,  Marshall,  Kentucky  Court  of  Appeals,  pages  228-230. 
It  is  interesting  for  several  reasons,  but  its  interest  for  us 
is  in  the  background  it  affords  us  for  the  life  of  Abraham 
Enlaws,  Enlows  or  Enlow. 

The  village  of  Hodgenville  is  remote,  but  it  is  not  wholly 
behind  the  times.  In  the  Spring  of  1920,  when  I  made  one 
of  my  visits  to  it,  the  local  papers  contained  matter  which 
showed  that  Hodgenville  was  fairly  abreast  of  the  rest  of 
the  world.  The  ministers  were  preaching  on  "  The  Inter- 
Church  World  Movement,"  and  the  boys  in  the  Senior  Class 
in  the  Hodgenville  High  School  had  organized  an  overalls 
brigade,  just  as  they  were  doing  in  New  York  and  Boston. 
Hodgenville  has  a  little  public  library,  named  not  for  An 
drew  Carnegie,  but  for  Abraham  Lincoln. 

This  library  contains  the  one  known  copy  of  a  little  book 
called  "  Ministry  of  Faith."  Its  sub-title  is,  "  The  Ardent 
Ministry,  Times,  Anecdotes  and  Pulpit  Selections  of  Rev. 


180    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

A.  W.  La  Rue,  A.M."  The  author  was  A.  C.  Graves,  and 
the  book  was  published  in  Louisville  in  1865.  For  our  pur 
poses  it  is  of  interest  because  Rev.  A.  W.  La  Rue,  who  was 
graduated  in  1842  with  the  first  class  in  Georgetown  College, 
was  a  grandson  of  John  La  Rue  and  Mary  Brooks,  who, 
after  the  death  of  her  first  husband,  married  Isom  Enlaws, 
Enlows  or  Enlow,  and  became  the  mother  of  Abraham  En- 
low.  This  little  book  tells  something  about  this  good  woman : 

Mary  Brooks,  the  wife  of  John  La  Rue,  was  of  an  old 
family  of  Virginia,  and  deserves  from  her  peculiar  character 
not  to  be  overlooked  in  this  chapter.  From  the  marvellous 
strength  of  her  faith  and  the  great  power  of  her  ruling  traits, 
one  would  not  infer  that  her  influence  would  be  exhausted  in 
a  single  generation.  And  who  can  measure  the  fearful  re 
sponsibility  of  every  mother  when  it  is  considered  that  her 
character  is  to  be  held  up  as  a  type  for  children's  children, 
molding  into  the  image  of  the  Saviour,  or  forever  paralyzing 
all  aspirations  for  manliness  and  perfection  of  heart!  Mrs. 
La  Rue  was  a  devoted  Christian,  and  a  prayerful  reader  of 
the  Bible.  Her  judgment  of  the  Scriptures  was  held  in 
general  respect,  and  knotty  passages  were  frequently  brought 
to  her  by  preachers  and  others  for  her  interpretation.  She 
survived  her  husband  many  years,  and  lived  to  a  ripe  old 
age.  At  her  death  in  1843  ner  living  generation  numbered 
172.  Perhaps  no  generation  in  Kentucky  has  produced  a 
larger  number  of  worthy  representatives  in  the  pulpit,  at  the 
bar,  in  politics,  medicine,  and  the  other  callings. 

Many  incidents  and  anecdotes  are  related  of  Mrs.  La 
Rue,  two  of  which  may  properly  come  in  here  to  illustrate 
the  might  of  that  character  whose  weight  still  hangs  upon 
her  numerous  progeny. 

One  occurred  at  old  Nolin  Church,  while  Rev.  David 
Thurman  (the  father  of  our  estimable  brother,  R.  L.  Thur- 
man)  was  pastor.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  logical  mind, 
great  decision  and  force  of  character,  which  led  him  to  deal 
extensively  in  doctrine  and  discussion.  He  was  a  terrific 
Calvinist,  and  as  a  defender  of  our  faith,  the  Baptists  had 
not  a  more  successful  champion.  One  church-meeting  day 
he  rose  under  perceptible  despondency  over  the  low  spiritual 
condition  of  the  church.  He  was  greatly  discouraged  with  his 


ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN      181 

pastoral  prospects,  and  suggested  that  the  church  call  an 
other  pastor.  He  sat  down  in  a  profound  silence  which 
continued  some  seconds.  The  stillness  and  embarrassment 
were  soon  broken  by  old  Mrs.  La  Rue,  who  was  the  first 
to  see  through  and  solve  a  difficulty.  She  had  been  leaning 
forward  all  the  while  in  a  listening  posture,  never  removing 
her  eyes  from  the  preacher.  Straightening  herself  and  point 
ing  one  finger  at  Elder  Thurman,  she  said  in  a  tone  of  con 
fidence  and  feeling :  "  Brother  Thurman,  I'll  tell  you  what 
the  matter  is — stop  preaching  John  Calvin  and  James  Armin- 
ius,  and  preach  Jesus  Christ."  Alter  a  moment's  pause,  the 
preacher  rose  with  streaming  eyes,  and  repeated  the  words, 
"  For  I  am  determined  not  to  know  anything  among  you 
save  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified." 

The  sermon  which  followed  was  one  of  the  most  pow 
erful  and  searching  character.  Perhaps  old  Nolin  Creek 
never  experienced  a  more  thorough  shock  than  was  made 
among  the  dry  bones  by  that  discourse.  A  revival  began 
with  that  day,  in  which  there  were  one  hundred  additions 
to  the  church.  Its  influence  spread  from  church  to  church 
until  there  were  over  a  thousand  conversions  in  that  asso 
ciation,  all  following  that  one  effort! 

Upon  her  dying  bed,  Mrs.  La  Rue  called  her  daughter 
and  said,  among  her  last  words: 

"  From  the  hour  of  my  conversion,  now  near  sixty  years 
since,  I  have  prayed  every  day  that  God  would  raise  up  of 
my  generation  Baptist  preachers." 

She  had  watched  her  sons  entering  the  pursuits  of  life 
one  by  one,  and  as  yet  her  prayer  was  unanswered.  From 
the  time  she  first  heard  S.  L.  Helm,  her  grandson,  the  first 
of  her  generation  to  preach  the  gospel,  she  took  courage  at 
the  answer  of  her  life-time  prayer.  At  the  time  of  her  death, 
A.  W.  La  Rue,  another  grandson,  was  a  young  preacher 
of  great  promise,  and  she  passed  up  from  this  world  believ 
ing  that  God  would  still  raise  up  others  of  her  generation  in 
answer  to  her  prayer.  From  her  descendants  have  sprung 
the  following  Baptist  preachers:  Rev.  S.  L.  Helm,  Rev.  A. 
W.  La  Rue,  deceased;  Rev.  Robert  Enlows,  Rev.  John  H. 
Yeaman,  deceased,  and  Rev.  W.  Pope  Yeaman,  pastor  of 
the  First  Baptist  Church,  Covington,  Kentucky.  The  last  two 
were  brothers. — Ministry  of  Faith,  pp.  18-21. 


182    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

In  that  day,  as  this  little  book  truthfully  sets  forth,  edu 
cated  ministers  were  rare  among  Kentucky  Baptists,  and 
not  in  very  good  favor;  but  this  man  sought  and  obtained 
a  college  education. 

It  is  not  with  A.  W.  La  Rue  we  are  dealing,  however, 
but  with  his  half -uncle,  Abraham  Enlow.  The  long  quota 
tion  shows  the  kind  of  mother  he  had,  and  the  kind  of  home 
in  which  he  was  reared;  and  while  her  prayers  that  he  might 
be  a  Baptist  preacher  were  not  answered  in  him,  they  were 
answered  in  his  son,  Rev.  Robert  Enlows. 

Mary  Brooks  was  born  in  Virginia,  but  she  spent  a  part 
of  her  girlhood  in  Philadelphia,  where  she  went  to  school. 
She  learned,  among  other  things,  something  of  medicine, 
and  in  her  mature  years  was  widely  sought  as  a  nurse  and 
midwife.  Abraham  Enlow  had  a  capable  mother. 

Unlike  some  of  the  Enloes  of  North  Carolina,  the  En- 
lows  of  La  Rue  County,  Kentucky,  refuse  to  slander  their 
ancestor  for  the  sake  of  cheap  notoriety.  I  have  the  follow 
ing  statement  from  Robert  Enlow,  of  Hodgenville,  who  has 
several  times  represented  his  county  in  the  Kentucky  Legis 
lature  : 

STATEMENT  OF  ROBERT  ENLOW 

Made  in  Writing  to  William  E.  Barton,  May  20,  1920 

I  do  not  think  my  grandfather,  Abraham  Enlow,  was 
the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  I  do  not  think  he  was 
that  kind  of  man.  From  every  inquiry  I  have  made,  I  have 
found  my  grandfather  to  be  a  Christian  of  the  highest  char 
acter,  a  man  who  was  a  leader  in  Christian  work,  a  man 
who  was  looked  up  to  as  an  example  for  young  men  to 
follow. 

I  have  heard  of  this  report  all  my  life,  and  since  I  have 
been  in  public  life  some,  have  heard  much  more.  My  great- 
grandmother,  Mary  Enlow,  officiated  at  the  birth  of  Lincoln. 
She  was  taken  there  by  my  grandfather,  Abraham,  on  a 
horse.  She  usually  had  grandfather,  who  was  then  a  boy, 
to  accompany  her  on  these  trips.  She  gave  Mrs.  Lincoln 
what  assistance  the  occasion  required,  and  as  the  days  passed, 


ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN      183 

she  sent  many  things  to  Mrs.  Lincoln  for  her  own  and  the 
child's  comfort.  Most  of  these  things  were  sent  either  by 
my  grandfather  or  a  slave,  all  the  time  without  a  thought  of 
pay,  but  from  a  heart  of  love. 

Then,  when  this  baby  boy  wanted  a  name,  his  mother 
gave  him  the  name  of  Abraham,  because  of  gratitude,  and, 
as  I  believe,  from  no  other  reason,  in  recognition  of  the 
many  acts  of  kindness  shown  by  my  great-grandfather's  fam 
ily.  The  vision  of  the  Christ  life  shown  by  Mary  Enlow 
gave  Mrs.  Lincoln  that  conception  of  motherhood  that  en 
abled  her  so  to  train  her  son,  that  in  after  years  he  was 
heard  to  say,  That  all  he  had  and  all  he  hoped  to  be  in  this 
life  he  owed  to  his  mother. 

My  father,  and  the  whole  family  so  far  as  I  knew,  did 
not  believe  the  story  that  Abraham  Enlow  was  the  father 
of  Abraham  Lincoln.  I  think  the  story  originated  from 
malice  toward  slave-holders.  You  know  there  was  such  a 
feeling  in  the  minds  of  people  who  did  not  own  slaves  or 
anything  else.  .  .  . 

Yours  for  truth, 

ROBERT  ENLOW. 

Not  because  we  have  need  of  further  evidence,  but  be 
cause  evidence  is  available  and  convincing,  let  us  record  one 
more  important  fact  concerning  Abraham  Enlow.  He  died 
in  1861  and  his  grave  is  in  the  old  Baptist  Church-yard, 
near  the  church  of  which  he  was  a  member,  and  to  whose 
erection  he  is  said  to  have  made  the  first  subscription.  There 
is  a  tombstone  at  his  grave,  and  it  gives  the  date  of  his  birth 
as  January  26,  1793.  This  would  make  him,  at  the  time 
when  Abraham  Lincoln  was  begotten,  not  a  man,  but  a  boy 
of  fifteen. 

But  may  there  not  be  a  mistake  in  this  old  record?  The 
people  of  that  period  were  notoriously  inexact  in  such  mat 
ters,  and  except  where  there  are  contemporary  court  rec 
ords,  many  inaccuracies  occur.  May  not  there  be  a  mis 
take  of  ten  or  twenty  years,  so  that  the  age  of  Abraham 
Enlow  can  be  carried  backward?  For,  if  this  record  is 
correct,  Abraham  Enlow,  at  the  time  of  the  conception  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  was  not  simply  at  a  highly  improbable 


184    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

distance   from  the  Lincoln  home,  but  was  only  a  lad   of 
fifteen. 

We  are  so  accustomed  to  the  commencement  of  the  year 
on  January  i  it  is  difficult  to  realize  how  recently  that  date 
has  been  established  and  definitely  agreed  upon.  The  custom 
varied  in  different  places.  In  England  down  to  the  time  of 
the  Conquest,  the  year  was  reckoned  in  some  places  as  be 
ginning  at  Christmas,  and  in  others  on  March  25.  From  the 
Conquest  to  1155  only  it  dated  officially  from  January  i, 
but  that  system  was  not  popular,  and  from  1155  till  1751  it 
was  dated  according  to  the  Dionysian  system  from  March  25. 
In  America  the  practice  was  not  uniform,  and  we  find  frequent 
instances  of  the  March  25  date  of  beginning  down  to  the  end 
of  the  1 8th  century.  It  is  often  necessary  to  indicate  dates 
falling  between  January  i  and  March  25  by  a  double  sys 
tem,  as  February  i,  1764-5.  Down  to  the  opening  years 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  particularly  in  isolated  and  rural 
communities,  there  were  frequent  datings  according  to  the 
Dionysian  year.  John  La  Rue  died  in  January,  1792,  as  we 
reckon  time.  Before  the  end  of  that  year  his  widow  married 
Isom  Enlaws;  the  true  date  of  birth  of  Abraham  Enlows  or 
Enlow  would  appear  to  have  been  January  26,  1 793-4. 

Yes,  it  is  possible  there  is  a  mistake,  but  if  so,  it  does 
not  make  Abraham  Enlow  ten  years  older,  but  one  year 
younger.  The  local  tradition  gives  the  year  of  his  birth, 
not  as  1793,  but  as  1794.  John  La  Rue  died  in  January, 
1792.  His  widow  married  Isom  Enlow,  and  Abraham  En- 
low  was  born,  according  to  his  tombstone,  just  one  year 
after  the  death  of  his  mother's  first  husband.  Although  in 
tervals  between  marriages  were  habitually  short  in  frontier 
communities,  this  seems  an  improbably  brief  interval,  and 
there  is  much  reason  to  believe  that  the  date  of  1794  is  cor 
rect.  In  that  case,  Abraham  Enlow,  at  the  time  of  the  con 
ception  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  was  not  even  fifteen,  but  only 
fourteen. 

The  confusion  in  the  two  accounts  of  the  birthday  of 
Abraham  Enlow  is  thus  easily  accounted  for.  It  was  the 
time  when  "  Old  Style  "  dates  were  still  in  occasional  use, 


ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  HARDIN      185 

and  threw  the  opening  weeks  of  a  year  into  the  calendar 
of  the  preceding  year.  Abraham  Enlow's  birth  as  given  on 
his  tombstone  is  the  Old  Style  date;  and  the  date  given  by 
the  family  is  the  New  Style  date.  His  birth,  according  to 
our  present  reckoning,  was  January  26,  1794.  He  was  born, 
not  one  year,  but  two,  after  the  death  of  his  mother's  first 
husband. 

At  the  time  when  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln  experienced  the 
promise  of  the  birth  of  a  son,  in  May  of  1808,  Abraham 
Enlow  was  a  chore-boy  on  his  father's  farm.  He  was  in 
the  beginnings  of  adolescence.  The  razor  had  never  touched 
his  face. 

Abraham  Enlow,  whom  ignorant  and  malicious  gossip  has 
made  the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  was,  at  the  time  of 
Abraham  Lincoln's  birth,  a  beardless  boy. 

There  remains  nothing  to  be  added. 

I  have  done  with  the  story  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
the  illegitimate  son  of  Abraham  Enlow,  of  Hardin  County, 
Kentucky.  The  other  stories  we  shall  consider  one  by  one. 
But  this  one  we  shall  have  no  occasion  to  examine  further. 
We  have  considered  every  shred  of  evidence  that  I  have  been 
able  to  discover  in  support  of  it,  and  I  am  confident  that  I 
have  discovered  it  all.  We  have  given  it  a  fair  hearing, 
and  have  subjected  it  to  a  fair  analysis.  It  fails  at  every 
possible  point,  and  is  conclusively  contradicted  and  disproved. 
No  right-minded  man  ought  to  refer  to  it  in  terms  of  possi 
ble  credibility  henceforth  so  long  as  the  world  shall  stand. 
It  is  a  blot  on  the  memory  of  a  plain,  honest,  religious  man 
and  upon  the  name  of  his  descendants,  and  a  libel  upon  the 
character  of  a  woman,  who,  so  far  as  this  story  is  concerned, 
stands  high  above  all  reproach. 

Let  us  consign  this  story  to  its  place  in  the  bottomless 
pit,  and  proceed  with  the  next. 


CHAPTER    XVII 
ABRAHAM  ENLOW  OF  ELIZABETHTOWN 

THIS  book  aspires  toward  completeness.  Its  purpose  is  to 
record  every  phase  of  the  story,  and  each  of  the  separate 
stories  that  affirm  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  not  the  sort 
of  Thomas  Lincoln.  I  am  thus  constrained  to  consider  briefly 
in  this  analysis  two  or  three  names  that  are*  not  mentioned 
in  the  second  part  of  the  book.  One  of  these  is  Abraham 
Enlow,  a  miller,  of  Elizabethtown,  Kentucky.  In  the  first 
draft  of  this  manuscript  I  assigned  him  a  chapter  in  the 
earlier  portion  of  the  book;  but  I  removed  from  him  that 
distinction  for  reasons  which  will  presently  appear;  while, 
for  the  sake  of  completeness,  I  treat  of  him  here.  Like  one 
of  the  heads  of  the  beast  in  the  Apocalypse,  he  "is  of  the 
seven,  and  is  also  an  eighth."  We  shall  spend  no  great 
space  upon  him,  but  will  afford  him  all  he  requires. 

Elizabethtown,  where  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks 
established  their  first  home,  is  not  without  its  local  claim 
to  an  Abraham  Enlow,  who  is  alleged  to  have  been  the  father 
of  Abraham  Lincoln.  This  report  I  give  in  the  words  of  a 
letter  from  Mr.  John  E.  Burton: 

As  to  my  belief  regarding  the  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
I  believe  that  he  was  born  under  lawful  wedlock.  I  was  so 
interested  in  the  Lincoln  matters  that  when  the  Lincoln  farm 
was  sold  in  1904  I  went  to  Kentucky  and  spent  several  days 
in  that  vicinity.  I  took  with  me  $3,500,  which  I  judged  to 
be  sufficient,  and  I  fully  expected  to  buy  the  farm  at  the 
sheriff's  sale.  On  this  trip  I  left  the  railroad  at  Elizabeth- 
town,  and  rode  to  Hodgenville  in  a  buggy.  On  the  way 
over  the  driver  said  to  me  that  as  I  was  so  interested  in  Abe 
Lincoln,  he  presumed  I  knew  who  his  father  was.  I  said  I 
had  read  several  books  on  the  subject,  and  knew  the  various 
opinions.  He  said,  pointing  to  the  large  grist  mill  in  the 
edge  of  Elizabethtown: 

186 


ENLOW  OF  ELIZABETHTOWN       187 

"  Abe  Lincoln's  father  used  to  own  and  run  that  very 
mill,  and  about  everybody  in  Elizabethtown  knows  that  Abe 
Enlow  was  Abe  Lincoln's  real  father.  Yes,  sir;  we  all  like 
Abe  Lincoln  down  here,  and  it  is  no  fault  of  his  that  Abe 
Enlow  got  mixed  up  with  the  hired  girl  and  paid  Tom  Lin 
coln  to  marry  her  and  move  over  to  Hodgenville." 

Mr.  Burton  continued: 

I  found  that  almost  every  one  in  that  part  of  the  coun 
try  when  questioned  had  the  secret.  I  believe  that  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  the  first  child  born  to  Thomas  Lincoln  and 
Nancy  Hanks.  I  do  not  believe  there  was  a  girl  named 
Nancy  or  Sarah  born  to  them  before  Abraham  was  born. 
Why  I  so  believe  is  that  Abraham's  second  mother,  or  step 
mother,  was  named  Sarah  Bush.  I  formerly  owned  her  old 
hymn-book  with  her  name  written  in  it,  Sarah  Bush.  This 
woman  had  a  daughter  Sarah.  She  and  Abraham  grew  up 
as  brother  and  sister.  That,  in  my  opinion,  is  the  occasion 
of  the  mix-up. 

In  my  opinion,  this  story  is  true.  Lincoln  himself  knew 
the  truth  about  it,  and  that  was  what  made  him  habitually 
sad.  The  dark  and  oppressive  shadow  which  ever  hung 
over  him  made  him  gloomy,  and  at  times  almost  drove  him 
to  despair.  To  interpret  correctly  the  thousand  and  one  odd 
and  strange  things  that  Lincoln  did,  these  facts  must  be 
known  in  order  to  account  for  his  doings. 

I  have  written  more  than  I  meant  to.  It  is  a  subject 
which  historians  seem  to  fear.  They  think  the  truth  would 
injure  Lincoln's  fame  and  glory.  I  do  not.  I  have  only  to 
recall  Charles  Martel,  who  saved  the  civilization  of  Europe 
from  the  Moors,  and  William  of  Normany,  the  Conqueror 
of  England,  to  satisfy  myself  that  children  conceived  out 
of  wedlock  are  often  of  superior  caliber. 

Subsequent  correspondence  disclosed  that  Mr.  Burton  had 
made  no  comparison  of  the  several  Abraham  Enlows,  and 
was  most  moved  by  the  apparent  evidence  in  favor  of  the 
North  Carolina  Enloe.  He  is  quoted  here  not  as  showing 
his  preference  for  this  particular  form  of  the  story,  but 
because  he  had  opportunity  to  secure  this  form  of  it  in  the 
manner  stated,  and  has  written  it  as  he  heard  it. 


188    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

It  interested  me  much  to  discover  that  this  man,  who 
had  studied  Lincoln  for  so  many  years  and  had  invested 
large  sums  in  books  concerning  him,  held  to  the  Enlow  theory 
in  any  of  its  forms.  He  holds,  as  I  judge,  to  the  theory  in 
general,  rather  than  to  any  one  form  of  it;  but  he  has  given 
the  best  record  I  have  of  the  Elizabethtown  version. 

This  story  is  not  entitled  to  any  weight.  It  is  an  off 
shoot  from  the  Hodgenville  story,  and  has  intermixed  with 
it  so  much  of  the  Bourbon  County  story  as  makes  its  hero 
a  miller.  The  Lincolns  bore  a  good  reputation  while  they 
lived  in  Elizabethtown.  Thomas  Lincoln  had  credit  at  the 
stores,  and  paid  his  debts,  and  his  wife  was  above  suspicion. 
An  eminent  judge  in  that  town  said  to  me. 

"  I  regard  every  such  story  as  a  gross  libel.  Nothing 
of  the  sort  was  ever  heard  in  Elizabethtown  while  Thomas 
Lincoln  lived  here,  nor  have  I  ever  been  able  to  trace  it  back 
of  the  Civil  War.  My  people  were  Southern  in  their  sym 
pathies,  and  so  am  I,  and  always  have  been:  but  this  story 
did  not  grow  up  here.  It  found  credence  here  among  certain 
people,  but  it  was  imported.  It  has  no  basis  of  fact  in  this 
county." 

However,  to  go  one  step  farther,  I  decided  to  learn 
whether  there  ever  was  an  Abraham  Enlow,  a  miller,  of 
Elizabethtown.  The  mills  of  an  early  settlement  are  noted 
institutions,  and  those  of  Elizabethtown  are  well  known. 
The  large  mill  standing  on  the  way  to  Hodgenville  is  noted 
in  the  histories  of  the  State,  and  long  remained  in  the  Hay- 
craft  family,  one  of  the  most  prominent  families  of  Eliza 
bethtown.  At  my  request  the  County  Clerk  searched  the  rec 
ords  of  Hardin  County  with  this  result,  that  he  can  find  no 
Abraham  Enlow  as  having  owned  a  mill  in  that  part  of  the 
county.  Furthermore,  the  Enlows  lived  where  they  orig 
inally  settled,  and,  so  far  as  he  can  discover,  there  was  not  an 
Enlow  in  that  part  of  the  county  which  now  is  Hardin  prior 
to  the  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

The  answer  to  the  story  about  Abraham  Enlow,  the  miller 
of  Elizabethtown,  is  that  there  was  no  such  man. 


CHAPTER    XVIII 
GEORGE  BROWNFIELD 

THE  Brownfield  story  would  not  be  entitled  to  a  moment's 
notice  but  for  one  significant  fact;  it  is  one  form  of  the 
local  confession  that  the  Enlow  story  is  untenable. 

As  soon  as  the  Enlow  story  began  to  be  current  in  La 
Rue  County,  the  people  who  knew  where  Thomas  and  Nancy 
Lincoln  were  living  at  the  time  of  the  conception  of  Abra 
ham  Lincoln,  recognized  the  incredibility  of  the  story.  The 
unborn  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  began  immediately  before 
or  immediately  after  the  removal  of  his  parents  from  Eliza- 
bethtown,  and  before  Nancy  had  time  to  form  acquaintances. 
Her  conception  occurred  before  their  removal  to  their  own 
home  near  the  Enlows.  As  we  have  already  seen,  it  is  alto 
gether  likely  that  she  had  never  seen  the  face  of  Abraham 
Enlow.  The  older  inhabitants  knew  this  fact.  Under  those 
circumstances,  some  other  man  had  to  be  found  to  whom 
the  paternity  of  Abraham  Lincoln  was  a  physical  possibility. 
That  man  was  George  Brownfield;  and,  of  course,  Abraham 
Lincoln,  being  a  tall  man,  was  said  to  have  looked  much  like 
the  son  of  George  Brownfield,  who  also  was  tall. 

The  story  is  the  emptiest  trash.  But  it  is  valuable;  for 
it  never  would  have  come  into  existence  if  the  local  form  of 
the  Enlow  story  had  not  been  recognized  as  impossible. 

One  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Hodgenville,  a  man  active 
in  political  circles,  and  otherwise  widely  known,  made  an 
extended  verbal  statement  which  I  summarize  as  follows : 

"  I  have  spent  my  life  in  La  Rue  County,  and  have  been 
familiar  from  childhood  with  stories  concerning  the  birth  of 
Abraham  Lincoln.  I  am  a  Democrat,  and  I  had  at  the  outset 
no  natural  disinclination  to  believe  anything  adverse  to  the 
reputation  of  Abraham  Lincoln  or  the  social  standing  of 

his  family;  for  political  interest  and  political  hatred  were  very 

189 


190    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

strong  here  in  the  days  that  followed  the  Civil  War.  I  sup 
pose  I  have  had  as  much  occasion  as  any  other  man  living  in 
this  county  to  investigate  the  truth  of  these  rumors.  It  be 
came  a  part  of  my  duty  some  years  ago  to  look  into  them 
very  carefully. 

"  I  know  only  of  the  rumors  that  are  or  have  been  cur 
rent  in  this  locality.  The  others,  more  remote,  I  have  never 
investigated;  I  do  not  think  it  worth  while.  Here,  if  any 
where,  the  irregularity  occurred.  Here,  if  anywhere,  must  the 
evidence  be  sought.  I  have  had  occasion  to  seek  out  and  to 
weigh  that  evidence.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  this 
story  in  all  its  local  forms  is  unsupported  by  evidence,  and  in 
all  those  local  forms  but  one  is  physically  possible.  The  one 
possible  exception  is  the  Brownfield  story.  If  Thomas  and 
Nancy  Lincoln  came  here  from  Elizabethtown  as  early  as 
May,  1808,  and  she  formed  an  adulterous  association  with  the 
first  man  she  met,  then  this  story  is  barely  possible,  and  that  is 
all  that  can  be  said  in  its  favor. 

"  But  we  do  not  know  that  she  was  here  as  early  as  May, 
1808;  the  probabilities  are  that  she  and  Thomas  came  about  the 
first  of  June.  And  if  she  came  as  early  as  May,  we  have  no 
evidence  whatever  that  she  then  or  ever  was  untrue  to  her 
husband.  There  is  no  vestige  of  a  story  current  in  the  years 
of  her  life  here  that  militates  against  her  moral  character. 
There  is  not  the  slightest  reason  to  believe  that  any  one  sus 
pected  Brownfield  until  half  a  century  had  gone  by.  All  that 
can  be  alleged  in  its  favor  is  that  it  is  not  known  to  be  physi 
cally  impossible;  and  that  is  no  evidence  upon  which  to  assail 
the  character  of  a  woman  who  has  a  right  to  be  presumed 
virtuous,  or  of  a  man  in  good  standing  in  the  community. 

"  If  any  of  these  stories  here  locally  current  is  true,  this 
is  the  true  one;  for  the  others  are  impossible.  This  one  is 
unsupported  by  any  color  of  evidence,  and  is  opposed  to  every 
inherent  probability.  It  did  not  originate  until  the  Enlow  story 
had  been  weighed  in  the  balance  and  found  wanting.  Then  this 
grew  out  of  the  mere  suggestion  that  it  was  not  utterly  impos 
sible.  The  story  is  unworthy  of  credence. 

"  I  began  my  investigation  of  these  stories  with  no  marked 


GEORGE  BROWNFIELD  191 

disinclination  to  believe  them.  I  am  convinced  that  all  of  them 
that  ever  have  been  in  circulation  in  Lincoln's  home  county 
are  false;  and  as  for  the  rest,  I  have  only  to  say  that  it  is 
incredible  that  any  one  of  them  should  have  been  true.  How 
could  an  event  which  certainly  occurred  here,  if  it  occurred  at 
all,  leave  no  evidence  of  the  fact  in  the  place  where  it  occurred, 
and  become  known  to  people  in  Virginia  or  North  Carolina  or 
South  Carolina?  The  stories  are  all  false;  all  impossible 
except  the  Brownfield  story,  and  that  might  possibly  have  been 
true,  but  is  false  as  are  the  others." 

This  makes  a  short  chapter,  but  there  is  no  reason  why 
it  should  be  longer.  There  is  nothing  more  to  be  said 
about  it. 


CHAPTER   XIX 
ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  OF  OHIO 

IN  1867  material  on  the  life  of  Lincoln  was  still  relatively 
scant.  While  Holland's  Life  of  Lincoln  and  that  of  Bar 
rett  were  based  upon  some  original  investigation,  these  had 
been  issued  as  soon  after  Mr.  Lincoln's  death  as  the  authors 
could  well  prepare  them,  and  they  depended  upon  the  cam 
paign  biographies  for  most  of  their  content  with  regard 
to  Lincoln's  early  life.  In  that  year  the  story  gained  cur 
rency  that  one  reason  for  the  departure  of  Thomas  and 
Nancy  Lincoln  from  Kentucky  was  the  strong  resemblance 
which  existed  between  their  son  Abraham  and  a  neighbor 
who  was  alleged  to  have  been  his  father.  It  was  further 
declared  that  between  the  time  of  their  removal  from  Ken 
tucky  and  their  residence  in  Indiana  the  family  lived  for  a 
time  in  a  village  in  Ohio.  This  village  was  named,  and 
the  name  could  be  mentioned  here,  and  would  be  so  men 
tioned  if  it  were  of  any  importance  in  this  statement. 

A  noted  Presbyterian  minister  in  Lexington,  Kentucky, 
became  much  interested  in  this  matter,  and  learned  that  an 
other  minister,  then  editing  a  religious  newspaper,  had  been 
a  school  teacher  in  that  town  in  Ohio  in  the  years  when  this 
boy,  Abraham  Lincoln,  was  supposed  to  have  been  resident 
there.  The  editor  also  was  interested.  He  had  seen  Mr. 
Lincoln  in  1860,  and  thought  he  recalled  a  resemblance  to  his 
pupil  of  former  years.  Furthermore,  his  computation  dis 
closed  the  fact  that  President  Lincoln's  age  was  just  about 
that  of  his  old  pupil.  It  further  appeared  that  the  father  of 
this  young  Ohio  Lincoln  was  named  Thomas. 

The  correspondence  resulting  from  these  facts  is  still 
in  existence,  though  not  in  possession  of  any  of  the  original 
correspondents.  I  have  communicated  with  the  son  of  the 
editor,  who  writes  to  me: 

192 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  OF  OHIO        193 

"  I  am  afraid  I  can  give  you  no  information  in  regard 
to  the  controversy  of  1867.  I  have  an  indistinct  recollec 
tion  of  the  discussion  and  have  looked  over  the  files  for 
1867,  but  found  nothing." 

I  have  had  access,  however,  to  the  original  letters,  in  pos 
session  of  another  person,  and  have  copied  such  portions 
as  are  important  for  this  purpose.  The  owner  of  these  let 
ters  has  preserved  them  for  possible  use  in  case  the  story 
should  rise  again,  and  they  are  where  they  could  be  found 
if  needed;  but  he  does  not  desire  that  the  letters  or  the  place 
of  their  deposit  should  become  public  property. 

These  are  the  essential  facts  as  brought  out  in  these  let 
ters: 

The  man  of  whom  I  have  spoken  as  the  editor  taught 
in  a  village  in  Ohio  in  1827  a  lad  about  nineteen,  whose 
name  he  remembered  as  Abraham  Linkhorn  or  Lincoln,  and 
whose  father  was  named  Thomas.  The  President-elect  in 
1860  seemed  to  him  to  have  the  same  figure  and  features. 
The  story  of  the  Ohio  residence,  with  sufficient  detail  as  to 
the  relation  of  that  residence  to  a  prior  one  in  Kentucky  and 
a  subsequent  but  very  brief  one  in  Indiana,  appeared  to  sup 
port  this  impression. 

The  son  of  the  editor  has  looked  through  the  files  of  his 
father's  paper  for  1867,  and  finds  no  reference  to  these 
matters.  Very  properly  so,  for  his  father  was  not  a  man 
who  would  have  been  likely  to  publish  a  story  of  this  kind 
until  he  had  investigated  the  matter  fully. 

The  results  of  his  investigation  lie  before  me  in  the  hand 
writing  of  the  father,  the  editor.  His  recollection  of  the 
name  of  the  boy's  father  was  correct;  it  was  Thomas  Lin 
coln.  The  son  who  went  to  school  to  him  was  born  about 
1809,  and  was  a  tall,  raw-boned  lad  like  the  future  President. 
Further,  the  family  removed  from  Ohio,  and  settled  in  In 
diana.  Here,  surely,  was  the  basis  of  a  plausible  and  scan 
dalous  story,  for  if  the  Ohio  Lincoln  was  the  President  there 
was  a  scandal  about  his  birth. 

But  at  that  point  the  stories  diverge.  Thomas  Lincoln 
of  Ohio  had  three  sons,  John,  Thomas  and  Ananias.  He 


194    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

had  no  son  Abraham.  The  son  whom  the  teacher,  who  later 
became  the  editor,  taught  in  Ohio,  and  thought  he  recognized 
in  the  future  President,  was  named  John,  and  he  died  in, 
1840.  There  lies  before  me  as  I  write  a  letter  from  the  man 
for  whom  he  was  working  and  upon  whose  premises  he  died. 

This  discovery  completely  disposed  of  the  report,  and 
at  the  same  time  it  illustrated  how  a  considerable  body  of 
fact  can  be  gathered  in  support  of  a  theory  that  is  utterly 
untrue,  and  how  easily  an  honest  man  can  be  deceived  in 
his  own  recollections  of  the  appearance  of  a  person  whom 
he  had  known  many  years  previous  to  the  time  of  his  mak 
ing  a  statement. 

For  good  reason,  I  prefer  not  to  name  any  of  the  persons 
who  participated  in  this  correspondence;  but  I  have  copies 
of  the  letters,  which  I  made  with  my  own  hand  direct  from 
the  originals,  and  I  have  given  herewith  all  the  essential 
facts. 

Furthermore,  if  the  statements  in  this  chapter  should  be 
called  in  question,  the  original  letters  can  easily  be  located, 
and  the  statements  in  this  chapter  fully  substantiated. 


CHAPTER    XX 
ABRAHAM  INLOW  OF  BOURBON  COUNTY 

OF  all  the  forms  of  the  story  concerning  Abraham  Lincoln's 
paternity,  I  approach  this  one  with  the  least  patience.  The 
reasons  are,  first,  that  the  story  itself  is  highly  offensive,  and, 
secondly,  that  it  comes  to  us  through  the  credulity  of  men 
who  had  been  trained  to  sift  evidence,  and  who  ought  to  have 
known  better.  The  story  is  that  Thomas  Lincoln,  for  a 
consideration,  confidently  named  as  five  hundred  dollars  in 
money  and  a  pair  of  horses  and  a  wagon,  married  a  woman 
named  Hornback  or  Hanks,  and  assumed  the  paternity  of 
her  illegitimate  child,  who,  according  to  some  versions  of  the 
story,  was  not  yet  born,  and  according  to  others  was  able 
to  run  around,  and  to  sit  up  between  Thomas  and  Nancy 
as  they  drove  away  toward  the  more  western  portion  of  the 
State  to  begin  their  married  life  together.  It  partakes  of 
the  story  told  by  Mrs.  Boyd,  but  instead  of  attributing  his 
birth  to  Judge  Marshall's  son,  or  adopted  son,  ascribes  his 
paternity  to  one  Abraham  Inlow,  a  miller,  who  is  alleged 
to  have  lived  on  the  border  between  Clar,k  and  Bourbon 
Counties. 

One  of  the  first  questions  suggested  by  the  story  is, 
What  did  Thomas  Lincoln  do  with  the  money  ?  That  amount 
of  money  would  have  made  him  a  rich  man  on  his  arrival  in 
Hardin  County.  He  was  not  a  drunkard  nor  a  gambler, 
and  while  he  was  improvident,  he  was  not  a  wastrel.  What 
did  he  do  with  the  money? 

And  what  did  he  do  with  the  horses  and  wagon?  The 
tax  collector  was  unable  to  find  more  than  one  horse,  and 
almost  every  man  had  a  horse  to  ride.  If  Thomas  Lincoln 
secured  any  such  sum  we  should  find  him  with  less  difficulty 
on  the  tax  returns,  where  I  have  found  him  in  the  counties 
of  his  residences,  but  not  with  two  horses  at  any  time  while 

195 


196    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

he  resided  in  Kentucky,  so  far  as  tax  returns  have  thus  far 
been  discovered. 

The  next  fact  which  comes  to  our  notice  is  that  the  name 
of  the  young  woman,  thus  wronged  by  one  man  and  married 
by  another,  was  manifestly  not  Hanks  but  Hornback,  a  name 
not  infrequent  in  Hardin  and  La  Rue  Counties.  The  more 
this  story  is  followed  upon  the  ground,  the  more  it  becomes 
apparent  that  the  name  Hanks  was  a  later  addition.  One  can 
discover  the  very  bungling  and  unsuccessful  attempt  to  ac 
complish  what  in  the  film-world  is  called  a  fade-out  for  the 
Hornback  girl  and  the  emergence  in  her  place  of  Nancy 
Hanks. 

We  find  in  this  story,  as  elsewhere,  the  alleged  proof  in 
the  fact  that  relatives  of  the  people  supposed  to  have  been 
involved  in  this  situation  have  long  arms,  more  or  less,  like 
those  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  One  distinguished  lawyer,  re 
lated  to  the  Mows,  shows  his  long  arms  as  proof  of  his  re 
lationship  to  Abraham  Lincoln.  This  proves  that  in  several 
localities  in  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  the  two  Carolinas,  there 
are  men  who  have  long  arms,  and  it  proves  no  more. 

This  story  also  affirms  that  an  unnamed  lawyer  said  to  an 
other  unnamed  lawyer  that  a  Methodist  preacher,  unnamed 
but  evidently  Jesse  Head,  residing  at  Harrodsburg,  told  the 
lawyer  who  told  the  other  lawyer,  who  told  some  one  else, 
that  when  he  married  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks,  the 
boy  Abraham  was  old  enough  to  run  around  the  floor.  And 
that  is  a  lie.  Jesse  Head  died  in  1842,  more  than  two  de 
cades  before  this  story  got  into  circulation. 

Now  we  come  to  the  irrefutable  proof  that  this  story  is 
false,  which  is,  that  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  were  mar 
ried  June  12,  1806,  and  that  in  February  of  the  following 
year  there  was  born  to  them  a  daughter  named  Sarah,  who 
was  their  eldest  child.  Abraham  was  the  second  child,  born 
two  years  and  eight  months  after  the  marriage  of  his  parents. 

Nicolay  and  Hay  in  their  record  of  the  marriage  of  Thomas 
and  Nancy  Lincoln  give  correctly  the  date  of  June  12,  1806, 
and  say: 

"  All  previous  accounts  give  the  date  of  this  marriage  as 


ABRAHAM  INLOW  OF  BOURBON     197 

September  23rd.  This  error  rose  from  a  clerical  blunder  in 
the  county  record  of  marriages.  The  minister,  the  Rev.  Jesse 
Head,  in  making  his  report,  wrote  the  date  before  the  names; 
the  clerk,  in  copying  it,  lost  the  proper  sequence  of  the  en 
tries,  and  gave  to  the  Lincolns  the  date  belonging  to  the  next 
couple  on  the  list."  (Vol.  I,  p.  23.) 

Nicolay  and  Hay  are  mistaken.  Herndon  gave  the  correct 
date  in  his  first  edition,  and  most  authors  have  followed  him. 
Moreover,  the  clerk  of  the  Washington  County  Court  usually 
copied  it  correctly,  and  that  has  been  the  record  since  followed. 
Nicolay  and  Hay  were  in  error  in  supposing  themselves  to  be 
the  first  who  published  this  date  correctly. 

The  date  was  incorrectly  copied,  however,  in  the  first  pub 
lished  article,  and  the  wrong  date  has  sometimes  slipped  into 
books,  as,  in  the  appendix  of  Miss  Tarbell's  Life  of  Lin 
coln,  where  she  followed  a  date  given  to  a  Kentucky  min 
ister.  But  the  correct  date  had  been  given  years  before  by 
Herndon. 

The  Bourbon  County  story,  though  very  widely  current, 
is  impossible.  Busy  as  the  devil  is,  it  could  hardly  have  orig 
inated  at  the  time  it  obtained  currency  if  the  marriage  return 
of  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks  had  been  found.  The 
first  male  child  of  Nancy  Hanks  was  not  born  before  she 
married  Thomas  Lincoln,  but  was  preceded  by  a  daughter, 
born  two  years  previously. 

This  daughter's  name  was  certainly  not  Nancy.  That 
myth  comes  plainly  from  the  tear  in  the  family  record  page 
of  the  Lincoln  Bible.  Her  name  was  Sarah,  and  she  was 
born  at  Elizabethtown,  February  10,  1807,  two  full  years 
before  her  brother  Abraham.  The  story  that  when  Thomas 
and  Nancy  rode  away  to  be  married  the  boy  sat  between 
them  is  opposed  not  only  to  all  probability,  but  to  certain 
fact. 

The  story  is  not  without  its  own  internal  indications  of 
its  origin.  The  unfortunate  girl  who  found  a  husband  and 
went  away  with  him  and  her  child  was  not  a  Hanks,  but  a 
Hornback;  and  the  evolution  of  some  nearly  forgotten  Horn- 
back  girl  into  a  Nancy  Hanks  is  apparent  on  the  face  of  the 


198    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

story.  The  Hornbacks  still  live  in  Hardin  and  La  Rue  Coun 
ties,  and  probably  in  adjacent  counties. 

The  Hanks  girls  were  known  in  Hardin  County  before 
the  marriage  of  Nancy,  as  is  plainly  shown  in  the  Helm 
story,  told  by  Herndon.  Nancy  Hanks  before  her  marriage 
to  Thomas  Lincoln  was  not  living  the  life  of  a  prostitute 
near  Thatcher's  Mills,  but  living  around  among  her  relatives, 
and  possibly  sometimes  attending  camp-meetings,  and,  so  far 
as  anybody  knows,  she  was  behaving  herself  like  a  virtuous 
young  woman. 

This  story  is  one  of  the  most  discreditable  to  those  who 
hold  it,  and  it  has  very  little  to  be  said  in  its  favor  or  in 
favor  of  those  who  so  readily  accepted  it.  It  has  formed 
a  part  of  the  gossip  of  lawyers  in  Kentucky  for  many  years, 
but  the  evidence  adduced  in  its  favor,  though  with  a  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Appellate  Court  as  its  sponsor,  shows  very 
little  regard  for  the  rules  of  evidence. 

I  count  this  story  the  more  contemptible  because  the  men 
who  pieced  together  the  bits  and  fragments  of  court-house 
and  bar-room  gossip  of  which  it  is  composed,  and  who  re 
told  it  and  enlarged  it,  were  men  who  were  accustomed  to 
weighing  evidence.  Some  of  those  who  were  chiefly  respon 
sible  were  men  of  ability  and  of  character.  They  believed 
this  story  until  it  became  almost  a  religion.  Yet  the  story 
is  sustained  by  no  evidence  which  these  lawyers  would  have 
accepted  as  proof  in  any  case  in  court.  They  talked  about 
it  and  rehearsed  the  gossip,  and  some  of  them  finally  swore  to 
their  belief  in  the  truth  of  it;  but  when  their  affirmations  are 
analyzed  and  the  evidence  in  their  favor  is  weighed,  it  is  alto 
gether  less  than  vanity. 

After  a  very  thorough  investigation  of  these  matters,  I 
had  occasion  to  make  inquiry  as  to  certain  details,  and  wrote 
to  a  friend  of  many  years,  who  is  a  Kentucky  editor  and 
a  member  of  the  bar,  and  whose  home  is  not  far  from  the 
storm  center  of  this  particular  story.  He  refused  to  assist 
me.  He  said  of  the  men  who  circulated  these  stories,  "  They 
are  liars,  and  scandal-mongers!" 


ABRAHAM  INLOW  OF  BOURBON     199 

Furthermore,  he  specified  emphatically  the  kind  of  liars 
which  he  believed  them  to  be. 

I  omit  the  adjective  which  he  employed,  but  I  find  his 
declaration  recurring  to  memory  as  I  ponder  the  evidence 
and  see  what  these  men  did  with  it.  My  editorial  friend  is  a 
man  who  is  rather  accurate  in  his  choice  of  adjectives.  I 
cannot  find  it  in  my  heart  to  contradict  him. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
THE  HARDIN  STORY 

THE  story  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  the  son  of  Martin  D. 
Hardin  is  not  physically  impossible.  General  Hardin  was  born 
in  1780  and  was  twenty-nine  years  old  when  Abraham  Lin 
coln  was  born.  The  story  that  he  visited  Nancy  Hanks  when 
on  his  way  to  attend  the  Legislature  in  Frankfort,  is  mani 
festly  incorrect,  as  he  was  never  a  member  of  the  Legislature, 
nor  had  any  member  of  the  Hardin  family  been  in  the  Ken 
tucky  Legislature  up  to  that  time ;  but  he  was  a  frequent  visitor 
to  Frankfort  and  perhaps  at  that  time  was  a  resident  there. 
The  story  would  have  more  approach  to  probability  if  it 
said  that  the  incident  occurred  on  his  return  to  his  home 
county  on  some  visit  from  Frankfort. 

But  the  story  has  not  a  shred  of  evidence  in  its  favor, 
nor  have  I  been  informed  of  any  reports  concerning  the  life 
of  Martin  D.  Hardin,  which  would  make  this  probable.  What 
makes  it  exceedingly  improbable  is:  First,  that  in  the  very 
year  of  this  supposed  adventure,  Martin  D.  Hardin  was  mar 
ried  and  happily  married  to  a  beautiful  and  proud  young 
woman,  the  daughter  of  General  Benjamin  Logan;  and  sec 
ondly,  that  at  that  time  Nancy  Hanks  was  married  to  Thomas 
Lincoln  and  living  a  long  ride  in  the  direction  opposite  to  that 
which  Martin  D.  Hardin  had  occasion  to  travel  between  his 
home  in  Washington  County,  his  law  practice  in  Richmond,  or 
his  political  affairs  in  Frankfort.  The  story  is  opposed  by 
every  element  of  probability  in  the  social  and  geographical 
situation,  and  it  did  not  originate  at  the  time,  nor  until  seventy 
years  afterward. 

It  was  Ward  Hill  Lamon's  Life  of  Lincoln  that  started 
whatever  story  became  current  in  Washington  County  con 
cerning  the  illegitimacy  of  Lincoln.  This  did  not  occur  in 
1872,  when  the  book  was  published,  nor  until  about  six  years 

200 


THE  HARDIN  STORY  201 

afterward.  So  far  as  I  can  learn  no  one  in  Washington 
County  bought  or  read  the  book  then  or  afterward.  All 
references  to  it  that  I  have  seen  in  print  or  manuscript  indi 
cate  clearly  that  the  persons  who  discussed  it  knew  of  it  only 
by  hearsay.  Even  in  a  little  pamphlet,  printed  in  the  '80' s 
by  W.  F.  Booker,  then  County  Clerk,  and  telling  the  story 
of  the  finding  of  the  marriage  certificate  of  Thomas  and 
Nancy  Lincoln,  the  evidence  is  plain  that  he  had  not  seen 
the  book.  Knowledge  of  Lamon's  book  made  its  way  into 
that  region  by  way  of  the  distillery  at  Athertonville.  A  man 
named  Thompson,  son  of  one  of  the  then  oldest  inhabitants 
of  Springfield,  was  a  government  officer  at  Athertonville,  and 
there  at  the  distillery  heard  discussions  based  upon  the  asser 
tion  that  Lamon  had  written  a  book  in  which  he  charged  or 
implied  that  Lincoln  was  an  illegitimate  child.  Thompson 
brought  this  report  to  his  father,  Robert  Mitchell  Thompson, 
a  highly  respected  citizen,  then  about  sixty-eight  years  of 
age,  who  had  known  men  that  were  present  at  the  marriage 
of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln.  He  was  sure  that  these  re 
ports  grew  out  of  the  futile  effort  that  had  been  made  to 
discover  the  marriage  record  in  Hardin  County.  Having 
definite  knowledge  that  the  marriage  had  not  occurred  in 
that  County,  but  in  Washington  County,  he  reported  the  mat 
ter  to  William  Frederick  Booker,  County  Clerk.  Mr.  Booker 
is  spoken  of  in  Washington  County  in  terms  of  highest  praise. 
He  served  as  County  Clerk  for  almost  forty-four  years, 
and  after  his  first  election  never  had  opposition. 

The  county  records  were  not  indexed,  nor  were  the  old 
ones  filed  in  any  fashion  which  made  it  easy  to  examine  them. 
The  search  proved  to  be  long,  and  Mr.  Booker  gave  himself 
to  it  in  such  time  as  he  could  spare  from  his  official  duties. 

Meantime,  the  knowledge  spread  that  Abraham  Lincoln 
had  been  declared  an  illegitimate  child,  and  there  was  some 
effort,  amounting  to  nothing  more  than  a  conjecture,  to  deter 
mine  who  his  father  might  have  been.  Washington  County 
gave  to  him  tentatively  the  best  name  it  had. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  Washington  County  not 
only  knew  that  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  were  married 


202    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

in  that  County  but  believed  and  still  believes  that  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  born  there.  If  another  father  than  Thomas  Lin 
coln  had  to  be  found,  Washington  County  was  disposed  to 
find  him  a  worthy  one. 

But  the  Hardin  tradition  was  short-lived.  Mr.  Booker's 
search  was  completely  successful.  He  found  not  only  the 
marriage  return,  signed  by  Rev.  Jesse  Head,  but  he  found  the 
marriage  bond,  signed  by  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Richard  Berry. 
These  documents  completely  confirm  the  affirmations  of  Mr. 
Thompson  and  other  old  residents  concerning  the  marriage 
of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln.  The  Hardin  tradition  died 
with  this  discovery.  I  am  reliably  informed  that  it  is  now 
completely  discredited  in  the  county  where  it  originated. 

I  should  not  have  considered  the  Hardin  story  worth  notic 
ing,  had  I  not  been  attempting  a  complete  survey  of  the 
field  of  these  reports.  As  I  have  mentioned  that,  I  may  add 
that  now  and  then  one  hears  a  name  thrown  out  in  utter 
recklessness  as  that  of  a  possible  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 
I  will  give  a  single,  and  fairly  representative  instance,  which 
will  serve  as  an  example. 

From  time  to  time  as  I  made  these  investigations,  I  heard 
the  confident  assertion  that  Lincoln  was  the  son  of  Patrick 
Henry.  I  cannot  claim  to  have  investigated  this  statement 
in  any  careful  fashion.  Parick  Henry  was  born  May  29, 
1736,  and  died  June  6,  1799.  As  he  had  been  dead  nearly 
ten  years  before  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born,  the  story  that 
he  was  Lincoln's  father  appears  to  me  improbable.  I  mention 
it,  however,  in  order  that  this  volume  may  be  complete. 


CHAPTER  XXII 
ABRAHAM  ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA 

AMONG  all  the  seven  putative  fathers  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
there  are  only  two  who  have  their  claims  set  forth  in  cloth- 
bound  volumes.  One  of  these,  which  traces  Lincoln's  descent 
from  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  we  shall  presently  consider;  the 
other  is  Abraham  Enloe  of  North  Carolina.  I  approach  the 
discussion  of  his  claims  with  some  reluctance,  not  because  they 
are  strong,  for  the  contrary  is  true,  but  because  I  have  come 
through  correspondence  into  somewhat  close  relations  with  the 
author  of  this  book,  and  I  do  not  find  it  easy  to  say  in  terms  as 
courteous  as  his  letters  to  me,  how  fallacious  I  deem  his 
arguments. 

The  story  as  Mr.  Cathey  gives  it  dates  back,  as  he  believes, 
to  the  early  years  of  the  nineteenth  century;  but  he  does  not 
produce  any  date,  or  any  fact  which  implies  a  date,  earlier 
than  the  last  quarter  of  the  same  century.  The  first  time 
any  part  of  this  story  appeared  in  print,  appears  to  have  been 
in  the  article  already  quoted  from  the  Charlotte  Observer, 
September  17,  1893,  m  tne  verv  *ast  decade  of  that  century. 
All  Mr.  Cathey's  attempts  to  impart  antiquity  to  the  narrative 
failed  signally. 

He  has  not  been  sufficiently  careful  in  checking  up  his  wit 
nesses.  He  relates  this  story  on  the  authority  of  Colonel 
Davidson : 

"  There  is  a  lady  now  living  who,  as  a  girl,  was  visiting 
Abram  Enloe.  This  lady  says  that  Nancy  Enloe  Thompson, 
having  become  reconciled  with  her  parents,  had  returned  from 
Kentucky  to  North  Carolina.  They  were  to  start  to  Ken 
tucky  again  in  a  few  days,  and  she  remembered  hearing  a 
neighbor  say,  '  I  am  glad  Nancy  Hanks  and  her  boy  are  going 
to  Kentucky  with  Mrs.  Thompson.  Mrs.  Enloe  will  be  happy 
again." 


204    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Colonel  Davidson  goes  on  to  say  that  he  himself  married 
into  the  Enloe  family,  and  settled  the  estate  of  Abram  Enloe, 
and  has  no  doubt  of  the  truth  of  the  story. 

Colonel  Davidson  must  have  been  a  very  credulous  man. 
This  lady,  who  was  visiting  Abram  Enloe,  and  so  presumably 
an  adult,  old  enough  to  know  and  be  interested  in  salacious 
gossip  in  1808  or  1809,  was  still  living  in  1913,  and  was  not 
then  a  woman  of  extraordinary  age. 

John  P.  Arthur,  in  that  year,  was  gathering  material  for 
his  History  of  Western  North  Carolina,  and  was  seeking  proof 
of  the  illegitimacy  of  Lincoln,  which  he  was  very  willing  to 
believe.  I  have  before  me  a  letter  of  his,  dated,  Boone,  North 
Carolina,  July  28,  1913,  in  which  he  says: 

"  As  to  the  lady  referred  to  on  page  73  of  Cathey's  book, 
I  have  a  full  account  of  what  it  is  claimed  she  saw  and 
heard,  but  as  she  was  not  herself  born  before  1809,  I  have  sent 
for  further  information  as  to  that.  I  think  that  instead  of 
seeing  and  hearing  what  it  is  now  claimed  she  saw  and  heard, 
she  only  heard  Mrs.  Felix  Walker  say  what  she,  Mrs.  Walker, 
had  seen  or  heard." 

Or  quite  possibly  she  heard  some  one  tell  what  some  one 
else  had  heard  that  Mrs.  Felix  Walker  heard  that  some  one 
had  told.  Arthur  found  that  he  had  no  direct  evidence  of  even 
the  indirect  evidence  to  which  Cathey  referred. 

It  is  evident  that  when  this  story  first  appeared,  the  Enloes 
themselves  denied  any  knowledge  of  such  a  tradition.  In  an 
article  quoted,  from  the  Charlotte  Observer,  Wesley  Enloe 
definitely  stated  that  he  had  never  heard  any  such  story.  This 
was  in  1893.  By  1909  he  had  grown  proud  of  being  called 
the  half-brother  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  made  the  statement, 
quoted  in  this  volume  from  Cathey's  book,  directly  contra 
dicting  his  earlier  and  truthful  statement. 

Moreover,  it  is  evident  from  the  same  article  that  when 
the  investigation,  if  such  it  can  be  called,  began,  people  were 
unable  to  discover  the  alleged  resemblance  between  the  Enloes 
and  Abraham  Lincoln;  nor  do  the  photographs  which  Cathey 
reproduces  resemble  Mr.  Lincoln  more  than  would  a  group 
of  portraits  from  almost  any  family  in  the  Southern  moun- 


ENLOE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA       205 

tains.  The  men  are  habitually  tall  and  lank ;  and  one  need 
not  ride  far  into  the  hills  to  find  along  any  mountain  creek  a 
reasonably  good  model  for  a  statue  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Mr.  Cathey 's  witnesses  disagree  lamentably  as  to  where 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  born.  Some  of  them  are  sure  that 
he  was  born  in  North  Carolina;  others  that  he  was  born  in 
Tennessee,  though  the  mischief  was  done  in  North  Caro 
lina;  others  affirm  that  he  was  born  on  the  way,  as  Thomas 
and  Nancy  were  on  their  pathetic  honeymoon  journey;  and 
still  others  give  them  time  to  get  to  Kentucky.  These  are  not 
variants  of  the  same  story.  They  are,  in  good  part,  the  odds 
and  ends  and  leavings  of  several  separate  stories,  of  different 
births,  remodeled  clumsily  to  fit  the  alleged  situation  of  Nancy 
Hanks  and  Thomas  Lincoln. 

Mr.  Cathey  is  hopelessly  lame  on  dates.  He  declares  that 
he  obtained  his  information  from  people  who  were  primitive 
but  honest,  dealing  little  in  dates,  but  accustomed  to  trans 
mitting  oral  information  correctly.  I  know  that  kind  of  peo 
ple,  and  they  are  good  people.  But  they  are  people  among 
whom  rumors  grow  incalculably.  The  "  grape-vine  telegraph  " 
of  those  regions  transmits  gossip  sometimes  with  amazing 
speed,  and  not  by  any  means  is  the  transmission  always 
accurate. 

In  the  gathering  of  information  for  this  volume  I  en 
deavored  to  avoid  discussion  with  my  correspondents  and  the 
people  whom  I  interviewed.  I  represented  myself  as  being 
desirous  of  knowing  the  truth,  and  of  wishing  to  hear  all 
that  was  to  be  said  in  favor  of  any  theory  held  by  honest 
people  and  current  in  any  section  of  our  country.  Mr.  Cathey, 
however,  asked  me  directly  for  my  opinion  of  his  theory,  and 
I  told  him  frankly  what  I  thought. 

I  wrote  to  Mr.  Cathey  that  I  thought  he  had  given  his 
whole  case  away.  He  had  started  out  to  prove  that  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  the  son  of  a  particular  Abraham  Enloe,  who  lived 
in  North  Carolina;  and  he  had  reached  the  point  where  he 
summed  up  his  feeble  argument  in  the  very  lame  belief  that 
Lincoln  was  the  son  of  "  some  Abraham  Enlow."  I  said 
to  him  that  that  admission  completely  nullified  his  argument. 


206    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

He  replied  in  a  lengthy  argument,  based,  not  on  his  local 
evidence,  but  on  the  alleged  fact  that  Herndon's  book  had 
been  bought  up  and  suppressed  by  Lincoln's  friends  on  ac 
count  of  the  implication  which  it  was  supposed  to  contain  that 
Lincoln  was  illegitimate. 

I  answered  that  it  was  not  certain  that  the  book  had  thus 
been  suppressed;  that  it  still  could  be  had  by  any  one  who 
really  wanted  to  get  it;  that  if  it  was  suppressed  there  were 
other  possible  reasons;  and  that  it  was  not  certain  that  Hern- 
don  held  as  a  final  view  the  theory  that  Lincoln  was  illegiti 
mate. 

Mr.  Cathey  replied  as  he  was  about  to  go  to  the  hospital. 
He  reproached  me  for  thus  lightly  thrusting  aside  "  the  tradi 
tions  of  an  honest  people  for  three  quarters  of  a  century/'  but 
he  brought  no  proof. 

Our  correspondence  grew  less  regular,  as  his  health  was 
frail,  and  we  had  about  covered  the  ground.  But  I  should 
like  to  quote  the  ending  of  one  of  his  letters: 

"  So  far  as  my  own  personal  intermeddling  with  this  sacred 
incident,  in  the  Providence  of  God,  is  concerned,  I  have  about 
made  up  my  mind  that  I  should  have  let  the  matter  rest  where 
it  was  born.  I  am  sure  if  I  had  it  to  do  over  again,  I  should 
not  touch  it.  What  do  you  think  ?  Answer  me  in  your  accus 
tomed  freedom. 

"  Cordially, 

"  JAMES  H.  CATHEY." 

It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  quote  my  answer  to  Mr. 
Cathey.  His  own  letter  is  the  best  possible  ending  of  this 
chapter. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
CHIEF  JUSTICE  MARSHALL  AND  ANDREW 

WE  come  now  to  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  pro 
posed  fathers  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  our  inquiry  involves 
a  double  quest.  For  this  story  tells  us  that  Chief  Justice 
Marshall  was  the  grandfather  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  Mar 
shall's  foster  son  Lincoln's  father. 

The  story  as  it  is  told  by  Mrs.  Lucinda  Boyd,  and  well 
fortified  with  affidavits  and  appeals  to  Truth,  suggests  three 
questions,  which  we  put  in  turn: 

The  first  of  the  three  questions  we  must  ask  is  as  to 
the  identity  of  Lucy  Hanks,  Hornback  or  Sparrow,  with 
the  maternal  grandmother  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

The  inquiry  need  not  be  a  long  one.  Apart  from  the  facts 
that  we  do  not  know  the  name  of  Hornback  in  connection 
with  the  ancestry  of  Lincoln,  and  that  that  appears  to  have 
been  the  real  name  of  the  woman  whom  Mr.  Rogers  had  in 
mind,  with  the  two  names  of  Hanks  and  Sparrow  added,  and 
Hornback  is  a  familiar  name  in  the  heart  of  Kentucky  to  which 
this  young  woman  is  alleged  to  have  gone,  is  the  simple  fact 
that  Lucy  Hanks  did  not  die  unmarried  at  the  foot  of  the 
Blue  Ridge,  leaving  Nancy  to  make  her  way  to  Kentucky  as 
best  she  could.  Lucy  Hanks  married  Henry  Sparrow,  bore 
him  eight  children,  and  lived  in  Kentucky. 

Thus  readily  do,es  Lucy  Hanks  lose  her  place  in  the  cast 
of  Mrs.  Boyd's  drama. 

Our  second  inquiry  is  as  to  the  foster  or  adopted  son  of 
Chief  Justice  Marshall,  named  Andrew,  son  of  an  English 
man,  killed  in  border  warfare  with  Chief  Justice  Marshall's 
son,  after  which  death  of  his  own  son,  Judge  Marshall  is  al 
leged  to  have  adopted  Andrew,  who  removed  to  Winchester, 
Kentucky,  where  he  found  Nancy  Hanks  and  became  the 
father  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

207 


208    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

The  author  has  been  unable  to  discover  any  such  Andrew 
in  the  early  life  of  Winchester  as  recorded  in  the  various 
county  histories  of  Kentucky  or  by  inquiry  of  leading  citizens 
in  Winchester.  He  has  been  unable  to  find  any  Englishman 
of  this  description,  perishing  in  this  manner,  and  leaving  his 
son  to  the  adoption  of  Judge  Marshall;  nor  did  Judge  Mar 
shall  need  to  adopt  any  sons;  he  had  five  sons  of  his  own. 
Nor  did  Judge  Marshall  find  bereavement  in  any  such  fashion 
as  to  require  this  kind  of  comfort  of  Andrew.  Judge  Mar 
shall  lived  to  the  year  1835.  His  five  sons  died,  respectively, 
in  1835,  1832,  1833,  1862  and  1873.  He  was  seventy-eight 
years  old  when  the  earliest  of  his  sons  died,  and  was  not  only 
a  father  but  the  grandfather  of  many  children,  and  had  no 
need  of  any  such  adoption.  Nor  is  any  such  name  as  Andrew 
to  be  found  in  the  family  record  as  very  fully  set  forth  by 
his  genealogical  biographer,  Paxton. 

Thus  are  we  grievously  disappointed  in  our  second  in 
quiry,  to  say  nothing  about  our  inability  to  locate  the  battle 
in  which  Andrew's  father  died.  Wherever  he  died  and  who 
ever  he  was,  he  appears  in  this  story  as  a  pure  myth. 

In  order  to  run  no  risk  of  losing  "  Afcdrew  "  if  he  existed, 
the  author  made  diligent  search  in  the  pages  first  of  Pax- 
ton's  work  on  the  Marshall  family,  and  then  in  Senator  Bev- 
eridge's  two  volumes  on  the  Life  of  John  Marshall:  and  as 
these  yielded  no  result,  and  the  Senator  was  known  to  be  sit 
ting  beside  the  press  with  the  remaining  two  volumes,  the 
author  wrote  to  him.  Senator  Beveridge  wrote  in  part  as 
follows : 

BEVERLY  FARMS,  MASSACHUSETTS, 

September  17,  1919. 
MY  DEAR  DR.  BARTON: 

Your  letter  of  September  4  has  just  been  forwarded  to 
me  here,  where  I  have  been  working  to  complete  the  last  two 
volumes  of  my  Life  of  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  which  will  be 
published  by  Houghton  Miffiin  &  Co.  of  Boston  next  month. 

I  have  not  run  across  any  record  or  intimation  that  Chief 
Justice  Marshall  ever  had  an  adopted  son;  and  I  am  quite 
sure  that  he  never  did  have  one. 


CHIEF  JUSTICE  MARSHALL         209 

I  have  been  all  over  the  ground.  Not  only  is  there  no 
letter  which  refers  directly  or  indirectly  or  gives  the  smallest 
intimation  of  any  adopted  son,  but  there  is  no  tradition  of 
any  kind  in  Richmond  supporting  the  idea,  and  none  of  his 
relatives  has  ever  heard  of  such  a  thing. 

It  is  just  possible  that  the  legend  may  have  taken  its  rise 
from  the  fact  that  when  Charles  Marshall,  brother  of  the 
Chief  Justice,  died  in  1805,  he  took  his  brother's  son,  Martin 
Pickett  Marshall,  into  his  family  for  a  little  time.  This  lad 
was  born  between  1794  and  1799. 

You  can,  I  think,  be  fairly  sure  that  there  is  nothing  in 
Mrs.  Boyd's  book.  It  is  as  certain  as  anything  human  can 
be  that  if  the  Chief  Justice  had  had  such  a  young  man  in  his 
home,  there  would  be  some  reference  to  it.  Surely  Paxton 
would  have  referred  to  it,  for  he  gathered  up  not  only  all  the 
facts  that  he  could  ferret  out,  but  many  traditions  and  much 
gossip,  some  of  it  being  far  from  fact.  I  am  confident  there 
is  nothing  in  it. 

Faithfully  yours, 

ALBERT  J.  BEVERIDGE. 

So  far  as  Martin  Pickett  Marshall  is  concerned,  one 
fact  which  makes  it  improbable  that  he  was  the  father  of 
Nancy  Hanks  is  that  she  was  born  eleven  years  before  he 
was. 

This,  therefore,  answers  our  second  inquiry. 

In  the  matter  of  Lincoln's  resemblance  to  Chief  Justice 
Marshall,  Mrs.  Boyd  was  well  within  the  bounds  of  truth. 
Any  thoughtful  person  who  looks  at  the  statue  of  the  Judge 
and  bears  in  mind  the  form  and  features  of  Lincoln,  must  be 
impressed  as  she  was  impressed.  The  resemblance  between 
the  two  men  was  so  great  as  to  be  startling.  Senator  Beveridge 
has  given  two  or  three  pages  to  this  in  his  four  volume  Life  of 
John  Marshall.  Not  only  were  the  two  men  alike  in  face  and 
form,  but  their  habits  of  life  and  their  mental  and  moral  char 
acteristics  were  alike. 

They  wei-e  so  much  alike  that  one  wonders  why  Mrs. 
Boyd  did  not  make  better  use  of  her  material.  The  whole 
Marshall  family  moved  to  Kentucky,  except  Chief  Justice  John 
Marshall,  and  his  brother  James  Marshall  himself  visited  Ken- 


210    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

tucky  twice ;  and,  while  it  is  not  certain  that  Judge  Marshall's 
eldest  son  ever  visited  that  new  state,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  he 
did  so,  and  he  may  have  been  there  several  times.  The  pos 
sibility  of  linking  the  lineage  of  Abraham  Lincoln  to  that  of 
Justice  John  Marshall  is  so  apparent  to  one  who  knows  the 
history  of  the  Marshall  family,  that  one  hesitates  to  suggest 
how  much  better  story  Mrs.  Boyd  could  have  made  if  she  had 
made  a  little  effort  to  learn  the  facts.  They  are  not  difficult 
to  obtain.  Paxton,  in  his  Genealogy  of  the  Marshall  Family, 
records  not  only  the  dry  facts  of  lineage,  but  innumerable 
details  and  much  gossip:  and  there  are  other  sources  of  in 
formation.  With  a  few  real  facts  she  could  have  made  a 
better  piece  of  fiction. 

The  third  inquiry  is  as  to  the  son  of  Chief  Justice  John 
Marshall  who  is  alleged  to  have  been  the  father  of  Nancy 
Hanks. 

This  is  a  more  detailed  inquiry,  for  Chief  Justice  Marshall 
had  six  children,  of  whom  five  were  sons.  We  will  name 
them  in  order. 

John  Marshall,  first  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States,  was  born  near  Germantown,  Va., 
September  25,  1755,  an<^  died  in  Philadelphia  July  6,  1835. 
He  was  married  at  Yorktown,  Va.,  to  Mary  Willis  Ambler, 
by  whom  he  had  issue: 

1.  Thomas  Marshall,  was  born  in  Richmond,  Va.,  July 
21,  1784,  and  died  in  Baltimore,  June  29,  1835.    He  married 
Margaret  W.  Lewis,  October  19,  1809.     He  was  a  graduate 
of  Princeton,  and  a  lawyer.    His  health  failed,  and  he  retired 
to  his  farm.    He  became  a  zealous  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church.    He  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  Virginia,  over  which  his  father  presided.    He  was  a  man 
of  literary  taste  and  culture,  a  lover  of  poetry,  music  and 
the  fine  arts. 

2.  Dr.  Jacquelin  Ambler  Marshall  was  born  December  3, 
1787,  and  died  July  7,  1852.    He  married,  January  i,  1812, 
Eliza  E.  S.  Clarkson.    Though  a  physician,  he  did  not  engage 
in  active  practice,  but  was  sought  in  consultation.    He  was  a 
well-read  country  gentleman  of  good  reputation. 


CHIEF  JUSTICE  MARSHALL         211 

3.  Mary  Marshall  was  born  September  7,  1795,  married 
General  Jacquelin  B.  Harrie,  and  died  April  29,  1841. 

4.  John  Marshall  was  born  January  15,  1798,  and  died 
November  25,   1833.     He  married,  February  3,  1822,  Miss 
E.  M.  Alexander.    He  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  a  lawyer, 
ancTseveral  times  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Legislature. 

5.  James  Keith  Marshall  was  born  February  13,   1800, 
and  died  December  2,  1862.    He  married  Clarinda  H.  Bur- 
well.    He  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  and  led  the  life  of  a 
country  gentleman.    He  was  several  times  elected  to  the  State 
Senate.    He  opposed  the  secession  of  Virginia,  but  when  she 
seceded  he  went,  as  did  all  the  Marshalls,  with  his  State,  but 
died  early  in  the  war..    He  was  highly  esteemed  as  a  generous 
and  honorable  man. 

6.  Edward  Carrington  Marshall  was  born  January   13, 
1805,  and  died  February  8,  1872.     He  married,  February  12, 
1829,  Rebecca  C.  Peyton.     He  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard, 
a  regular  church  and  Sunday  School  attendant,  fond  of  good 
reading.    He  sympathized  with  the  South  but  was  too  old  to 
fight.    He  had  suffered  from  the  fall  of  a  horse  which  he  was 
riding    and    whose    fall    nearly   killed   the    rider,    and   was 
for  some  years  an  invalid.     After  the  War,  which  impover 
ished  him,  he  was  offered  and  accepted  a  clerkship  in  the 
Pension  Office,  in  Washington,  and  thus  earned  his  daily 
bread. 

These  are  the  five  men  among  whom  we  are  now  to  look 
in  order  to  find  a  father  for  Nancy  Hanks  and  a  grandfather 
for  Abraham  Lincoln.  There  should  be  no  doubt  of  our  suc 
cess  with  so  many  to  choose  from,  and  if  we  do  not  wholly 
succeed,  we  can  leave  an  aroma  of  scandal  attaching  to  the 
entire  five.  We  can  learn,  if  we  try,  which  of  these  boys  was 
a  little  wild  in  his  youth;  which  of  them  had  questionable  love 
affairs  before  he  went  to  college;  which  of  them  led  too  gay 
a  life  in  college;  which  of  them  caused  domestic  distress  by 
too  great  frivolity  after  marriage. 

Moreover,  among  the  four  hundred  living  descendants 
of  John  Marshall,  we  shall  be  able  to  find  some,  who,  when 
the  matter  is  suggested  to  them,  will  remember  to  have  heard 


212    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

that  th,e  wife  of  one  of  the  sons  of  John  Marshall  caught  him 
in  the  act  of  kissing  the  cook;  and,  with  a  little  further  sug 
gestion,  we  shall  doubtless  be  able  to  establish  the  name  of 
the  cook  as  Nancy  Hanks.  Having  done  this,  we  shall  find 
that  Thomas  Lincoln  was  sufficiently  migratory  to  admit  of 
our  bringing  him  to  the  rescue  wherever  and  whenever  the 
exigencies  of  our  story  require.  We  can  quite  easily  evoke 
a  story  which  no  one  can  disprove,  and  which  will  make  every 
one  of  the  four  hundred  descendants  of  the  first  Chief  Justice 
of  the  United  States  blush  for  shame.  It  is  surprisingly 
easy  to  do  it. 

Let  us  first  begin  by  discovering  which  of  these  five  sons 
was  "  killed  in  border  warfare."  That  is  a  sufficiently  elastic 
term  to  cover  any  kind  of  violent  death. 

But  here  we  meet  another  disappointment.  All  five  of  these 
men  appear  to  have  died  at  home,  each  in  his  own  bed,  and 
most  of  them  on  the  farm,  far  from  the  madding  crowd  and 
from  scenes  of  violence.  We  search  in  vain  through  Senator 
Beveridge's  Life  of  John  Marshall  for  his  adjournment  of 
court  to  stand  by  the  coffin  of  a  son  slain  in  battle  of  any 
kind. 

However,  it  will  not  do  to  be  discouraged.  That  is  a  small 
and  immaterial  item.  Perhaps  he  was  not  so  killed,  but  de 
served  to  have  been  so  killed.  Let  us  find  out  which  of  the 
five  sons  would  have  been  most  likely  to  seduce  Nancy.  The 
whole  family  wer.e  Episcopalians,  but  some  of  them  did  not 
take  their  religion  very  seriously;  we  can  find  something  if 
we  try  hard. 

But  just  as  a  matter  of  caution,  let  us  pause  and  consult 
that  very  arbitrary  volume,  the  almanac.  It  is  a  volume  which 
scandal-mongers  pass  by  on  the  oth,er  side.  This  whole  body 
of  tradition  has  in  it  hardly  a  single  date  that  is  material  to 
the  evidence.  We  will  find  a  few. 

As  a  matter  of  chronology,  which  of  the  five  sons  of  John 
Marshall  would  have  been  most  likely  to  have  been  the  father 
of  Nancy  Hanks? 

In  a  painstaking  and  gossipy  volume  of  more  than  400 
pages,  William  M.  Paxton,  in  1885,  published  the  Genealogy 


CHIEF  JUSTICE  MARSHALL         213 

of  the  family  and  descendants  of  John  Marshall.  His  five 
sons  were  born  thus : 

Thomas  in  1784;  Jacquelin  in  1787;  John  in  1798;  James 
in  1800,  and  Edward  in  1805. 

Nancy  Hanks  was  born  in  1783. 

Instead  of  being  the  daughter,  she  might  have  been  the 
elder  sister  of  John  Marshall's  oldest  son,  and  the  mother  of 
the  youngest! 

Mrs.  Lucinda  Boyd  begins  her  story  with  an  appeal  to 
Truth.  History,  she  says,  should  be  painted  with  Truth  on 
her  right  hand  and  Memory  on  her  left.  Truth  is  her  guide 
and  inspiration,  Truth  with  a  capital  T,  Truth  emphasized,  the 
whole  truth  italicized.  Nothing  but  the  Truth,  the  Truth, 
will  satisfy  Mrs.  Lucinda  Boyd.  To  be  sure  that  she  has  the 
Truth  she  obtains  affidavits,  certifying  to  what  the  affiants 
have  heard  that  other  people  heard  of  what  had  been  told 
by  nobody  knows  who  to  nobody  knows  whom.  It  is  perhaps 
because  the  Truth  is  so  precious  to  her  that  she  uses  it  so 
economically.  Having  now  run  down  into  its  remotest  rat- 
hole  her  story  that  would  give  to  Abraham  Lincoln  as  a  great 
grandfather  the  first  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States,  and  having  shown  that  the  story  thus  sup 
ported  by  a  stack  of  affidavits,  her  own  included,  is  absurdly 
false,  and  should  have  been  known  to  her  as  false  before  she 
ever  printed  a  page  of  her  sloppy  and  slanderous  story,  I  now 
renounce  Lucinda  and  all  her  works. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
JOHN  C.  CALHOUN 

As  compared  with  most  of  the  stories  concerning  the  paternity 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  theory  that  he  was  the  son  of  John 
C.  Calhoun  is  entitled  to  thoughtful  consideration.  Such  con 
sideration  w,e  have  given  to  all  of  them;  most  do  not  deserve 
it.  Mr.  Knotts,  the  protagonist  of  this  theory,  has  wrought  it 
out  with  a  care  and  in  a  spirit  which  call  for  recognition. 
Among  all  who  have  sought  to  provide  Abraham  Lincoln 
with  a  father  other  than  Thomas  Lincoln,  he  alone  has  shown 
some  respect  for  chronology.  He  only  has  examined  public 
records  of  wills,  marriages  and  land  transfers.  Mr.  Cathey 
has  shown  diligence  in  assembling  traditions  from  members 
of  the  Enloe  family  and  their  neighbors,  and  assigning  to 
them  a  conjectural  antiquity  which  the  evidence  does  not  sus 
tain,  but  in  all  the  large  volume  of  his  accumulated  tradition, 
there  is  not  a  single  fixed  date.  If  the  calendar  had  small 
pox,  his  theory  would  be  immune.  There  is  no  point  in  his 
book  where  one  may  begin  and  reckon  in  terms  of  time  and 
distance.  It  is  otherwise  with  Mr.  Knotts  and  his  theory.  He 
has  some  respect  for  the  almanac.  He  has  shown  marked 
industry  in  collecting  data  concerning  the  Hanks  family  in 
several  states.  I  have  reproduced  it  in  this  book  more  largely 
than  might  otherwise  have  seemed  necessary,  partly  that  he 
might  set  forth  in  full  the  evidence  as  he  judged  it  to  be  im 
portant,  and  partly  that  others,  who  may  care  to  go  more 
deeply  into  the  difficult  question  of  the  Hanks  family,  may  have 
full  benefit  of  his  material.  He  has  sought  out  the  relations 
between  Thomas  Lincoln  and  his  uncle  Isaac,  thus  endeavoring 
to  establish  for  that  convenient  gentleman,  Thomas  Lincoln, 
who  is  certain  to  be  needed  for  the  assistance  of  some  lady  in 
distress,  a  convenient  base  of  operation,  nearer  to  South  Caro 
lina  than  Kentucky  is  or  could  have  been. 

214 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  215 

It  is  to  be  noted,  further,  to  the  credit  of  this  theory,  that 
it  provides  for  Abraham  Lincoln  a  male  parent  of  real  ability, 
a  man  incontestibly  superior  to  Thomas  Lincoln,  which  some 
of  the  substitutes  have  not  been. 

Mr.  Knotts  has  a  carefully  wrought  scheme  of  chronology, 
and  has  articulated  his  theory  so  well  that  John  C.  Arthur  took 
it  over  bodily,  with  full  credit  to  Mr.  Knotts,  in  his  History 
of  Western  North  Carolina.  This  was  a  high  compliment, 
especially  as  North  Carolina  had  its  own  aspirant  to  the 
paternity  of  Abraham  Lincoln  in  the  person  of  Mr.  Cathey's 
Abraham  Enloe.  That  Arthur  accepted  this  story  and  not  the 
other  is  a  hard  blow  to  the  Enloe  story,  which,  indeed,  is  no 
longer  worth  considering. 

Pursuant  to  this  chronological  scheme,  John  C.  Calhoun, 
who  has  been  studying  law  at  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  comes 
back  to  his  native  state  in  1807,  and  hangs  out  his  shingle 
in  Abbeville,  and  travels  the  circuit  to  adjacent  counties,  and 
stays  at  a  tavern  half  way  between  two  county  seats.  The 
date  is  correct.  Calhoun  did  all  those  things,  including, 
probably,  stopping  occasionally  at  this  particular  tavern, 
which  may  at  that  time  have  been  kept  by  Ann,  the  widow 
of  Luke  Hanks.  And  there  might  have  been  a  Nancy  Hanks 
helping  about  the  tavern;  and  she  might  have  been  the  kind 
of  girl  which  all  th,ese  various  Nancy  Hankses  are  supposed 
to  have  been,  and  Calhoun  may  have  been  the  kind  of  young 
man  whom  this  story  supposes.  So  far  forth,  the  story  is 
not  without  its  elements  of  plausibility. 

To  this  is  added  the  lodge-room  gossip  to  the  effect  that 
John  C.  Calhoun' s  intimate  friends  whispered  that  he  had 
sown  certain  wild  oats  in  his  youth ;  and  the  story  among  the 
women  of  what  Mrs.  Felix  Walker  told.  The  story  assumes 
some  elements  of  possibility  as  it  is  thus  viewed.  And 
that  is  saying  more  for  it  than  can  be  said  for  most  of 
them. 

John  Caldwell  Calhoun  was  born  in  the  96th  District 
South  Carolina,  March  18,  1782,  and  died  in  Washington, 
March  31,  1850.  His  grandfather,  James  Calhoun,  emigrated 
from  Donegal  County,  Ireland,  to  Pennsylvania,  in  1733, 


216    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

when  his  son  Patrick,  father  of  John  C,  was  six  years  old. 
Patrick  Calhoun  was  an  Irish  Presbyterian,  energetic,  patriotic, 
and  sided  with  the  colonies  in  the  War  for  Independence. 
In  1770  he  married  Martha  Caldwell,  daughter  of  an  Irish 
Presbyterian  minister.  Patrick  Calhoun  was  a  public-spirited 
man,  and  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Legislature. 

Of  such  parents  John  C.  Calhoun  was  born.  He  was 
prepared  for  college  by  his  brother-in-law,  Rev.  Dr.  Waddell, 
a  Presbyterian  minister,  and  went  to  Yale  in  1802.  He  studied 
law  with  local  members  of  the  bar,  and  then  finished  his  course 
at  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1807, 
and  in  the  same  year  admitted  to  the  bar. 

His  experience  as  a  lawyer  was  of  four  years'  duration, 
for  in  November,  1811,  he  was  elected  to  Congress. 

He  was  riding  the  circuit  at  the  time  required  in  Mr. 
Knotts'  theory,  and,  if  the  mother  of  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
there  at  that  time,  the  story  is  physically  possible. 

But  to  show  that  a  thing  is  possible  is  not  to  prove  that 
it  is  true.  And  before  we  go  much  farther,  it  will  be  well  to 
inquire  what  particular  Nancy  Hanks,  if  any,  was  actually  at 
the  tavern  kept  by  Mrs.  Ann  Hanks  in  the  short  period  during 
which  Calhoun  rode  the  circuit.  For  the  law  did  not  hold 
him  long;  politics  soon  claimed  him;  and  the  period  in  which 
he  was  riding  the  circuit  is  just  the  period  when  this  story 
requires  his  presence,  and  that  of  some  Nancy  Hanks,  at  the 
tavern  at  Craytonville. 

It  is  not  very  easy  to  follow  the  generations  of  the 
Hanks  family  through  their  intermarriages,  their  migrations 
and  their  duplication  of  names.  Fortunately,  we  are  not  con 
cerned  with  the  entire  problem,  but  with  only  so  much  of  it  as 
is  necessary  to  the  determination  of  the  question  whether  one 
particular  Nancy  Hanks,  and  she  the  mother  of  President 
Lincoln,  was  at  the  tavern  at  Craytonville  in  the  spring  of 
1808.  This  inquiry  warrants  a  brief  survey  of  the  Hanks 
genealogy. 

Mrs.  Hitchcock  traces  the  maternal  line  of  Abraham  Lin 
coln  from  the  Hanks  family  of  Plymouth,  Massachusetts. 
The  third  son  of  Benjamin  Hanks,  William  by  name,  is  be- 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  217 

lieved  by  her,  though  without  documentary  evidence,  to  have 
gone  to  the  Rappahannock  County  in  Virginia,  where  his  sons, 
Abraham,  Richard,  James,  John  and  Joseph  were  born.  All 
except  John  removed  and  settled  in  Amelia  County  about 
1740.  Here  documentary  evidence  begins.  On  January  12, 
1747,  Joseph  sold  two  hundred  and  eighty- foulr  acres  of 
land  to  his  brother  Abraham,  and  on  July  12,  1754,  bought 
in  the  same  county,  the  land  where  his  children  were  born, 
among  them  a  daughter  Nancy,  whom  she  believes  to  have 
been  the  mother  of  the  President. 

In  the  next  county  to  Amelia,  Lurenburg,  an  Englishman 
named  Robert  Shipley  bought  three  hundred  and  fourteen 
acres  of  land  on  September  16,  1765.  He  and  his  wife,  Sarah 
Rachel  Shipley,  had  five  daughters, — Mary,  who  married 
Abraham  Lincoln  of  Rockaway  County,  Virginia,  grandfather 
of  Abraham  Lincoln  th,e  President;  Lucy,  who  married  Rich 
ard  Berry;  Sarah,  who  married  Robert  Mitchell;  Elizabeth, 
who  married  Thomas  Sparrow,  and  Nancy,  who  married 
Joseph  Hanks. 

Joseph  and  Nancy  Shipley  Hanks  had  eight  children, — 
Thomas,  Joshua,  William,  Charles,  Joseph,  Jr.,  Elizabeth, 
Polly  and  Nancy.  This  is  the  Nancy  Hanks  whom  Mrs.  Hitch 
cock  believes  to  have  been  the  mother  of  President  Abraham 
Lincoln. 

Joseph  Hanks  migrated  to  Kentucky  in  1789,  and  died  four 
years  later.  His  will,  dated  January  9,  1793,  was  probated 
May  14,  1793.  He  left  a  horse  to  each  of  his  sons  and  a 
heifer  to  each  of  his  daughters.  Nancy  received  a  yearling 
heifer  named  Piedy.  He  left  to  his  "  beloved  wife  Nanny  " 
his  whole  estate  during  life.  She  and  her  son  William  w.ere 
the  executors. 

Mrs.  Hitchcock  sets  forth  what  is,  in  fact,  one  of  the  chief 
difficulties  of  the  inquiry,  the  fact  that  the  Hanks  family  did 
not  go  far  afield  for  family  names,  and  had  a  special  fond 
ness  for  the  name  Nancy : 

'  This  little  Nancy  Hanks  had  also  many  cousins  named 
Nancy.  .  .  .  Theirs  was  a  large  and  happy  colony  of  cousins, 
and  merry  were  the  days  passed  in  hunting,  hawking  and 


218    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

fishing  in  the  great  estates  of  nearly  a  thousand  acres  owned 
by  these  kind  uncles  and  aunts  "  (Nancy  Hanks,  p.  26). 

Their  hunting  may  have  been  more  merry  than  the  hunt 
of  genealogists  for  the  true  Nancy  Hanks,  but  the  estate  of 
a  thousand  acres  was  small  compared  with  the  area  over  which 
the  latter  chase  has  been  extended,  with  no  little  fishing  for 
possible  clues  of  identification.  The  fact  that  the  marriage 
bond  of  Nancy  Hanks  and  Thomas  Lincoln  was  signed  by 
Richard  Berry,  is  supposed  to  indicate  him  to  have  been  her 
uncle  and  guardian.  Mrs.  Richard  Berry  is  stated  by  Mrs. 
Hitchcock  to  have  been  "  her  mother's  sister."  She  says 
"  With  this  kind  Uncle  Richard  and  Aunt  Lucy,  Nancy 
Hanks  lived  until  she  was  married." 

There  is  no  Lucy  in  the  list  of  Joseph  Hanks'  children 
as  given  in  his  will,  and  any  neighbor  could  have  signed  the 
marriage  bond,  which  for  a  woman  of  twenty-three  in  a  land 
where  girls  marry  at  sixteen  was  a  mere  formality.  Almost 
any  by-stander  around  the  court  house  will  sign  a  marriage 
bond  in  Kentucky.  The  name  upon  the  bond  is  not  conclusive, 
but  it  is  inferential  proof  of  the  relationship,  and  is  probably 
correct. 

The  short  and  simple  annals  of  the  Hanks  family  as  given 
by  Lamon,  on  tHe  basis,  of  course,  of  Herndon,  who  had  his 
information  from  Dennis  and  other  members  of  the  Hanks 
family,  are  these: 

Nancy  Hanks  was  the  daughter  of  Lucy  Hanks.  Her 
mother  was  one  of  four  sisters,  Lucy,  Betsy,  Polly  and  Nancy. 
Betsy  married  Thomas  Sparrow;  Polly  married  Thomas 
Friend ;  Nancy  married  Levi  Hall,  but  not  until  she  had  given 
birth  to  Dennis  Hanks.  Lucy  became  the  mother  of  Nancy 
Hanks,  and  subsequently  married  Henry  Sparrow,  by  whom 
she  had  eight  children.  The  younger  Nancy,  however,  did  not 
live  with  her  mother,  Lucy  Hanks  Sparrow,  but  with  the  other 
Sparrow  family,  that  of  Thomas  and  Betsy  Sparrow. 

This,  it  will  be  noted,  brings  the  place  of  Nancy  Hanks 
Lincoln  one  full  generation  later  than  the  list  given  by  Mrs. 
Hitchcock,  with  much  uncertainty  as  to  marriages  in  the  two 
lists.  The  difficulty,  of  course,  arises  partly  from  the  incom- 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  219 

pleteness  of  records,  partly  from  the  overlapping  of  genera 
tions,  and  partly  from  repetition  of  names.  As  there  were 
many  Hanks  girls  named  Nancy,  so  there  w^re  duplicate 
Pollys,  Betsys  and  Lucys. 

Nicolay  and  Hay  give  the  same  list  of  sisters  and  of 
their  marriages  as  that  given  in  Lamon: 

"Mrs.  Lincoln's  mother  was  named  Lucy  Hanks;  her 
sisters  were  Betty,  Polly  and  Nancy,  who  married  Thcmas 
Sparrow,  Jesse  Friend,  and  Levi  Hall.  The  childhood  of 
Nancy  was  passed  with  the  Sparrows,  and  she  was  oftener 
called  by  their  name  than  her  own.  The  whole  family  con 
nection  was  composed  of  people  so  little  given  to  letters  that  it 
is  hard  to  determine  the  proper  names  and  relationships  amid 
the  tangle  of  traditional  cousinships." — NICOLAY  AND  HAY: 
Abraham  Lincoln,  A  History,  Vol.  I,  p.  24. 

Mr.  Knotts  begins  where  Mrs.  Hitchcock  does,  with  Will 
iam,  in  Rappahannock  County,  and  accepts  on  her  authority  her 
attempt  to  connect  him  with  the  Plymouth  family.  He  finds 
William  migrating  to  Amelia  County,  just  as  Mrs.  Hitchcock 
does,  but  instead  of  the  five  sons  whom  she  gives,  Abraham, 
Richard,  James,  John  and  Joseph,  he  declares  that  there  were 
twelve  children.  Thus  far  there  may  be  no  conflict.  Mr. 
Knotts'  twelve  may  have  included  the  five  of  Mrs.  Hitchcock; 
but  the  son  through  whom  he  traces  the  paternity  of  Nancy  is 
not  one  of  her  five,  but  "  the  youngest  son,  Luke."  Among  his 
daughters  were  Lucy,  and  Nancy,  the  very  Nancy  who  be 
came  the  mother  of  the  President. 

Luke,  James  and  John  migrated  to  South  Carolina.  James 
and  John  went  on  to  Kentucky,  but  Luke  and  his  wife  Ann 
lived  and  died  in  Anderson  County,  South  Carolina. 

The  children  of  Luke  and  Ann  Hanks,  as  Mr.  Knotts 
gives  them,  are  five  sons  and  six  daughters, — Thomas,  Luke, 
John,  Robert,  George,  Lucinda,  Scilla,  Elizabeth,  Martha, 
Susan  and  Judith,  all  of  whom  remain  in  South  Carolina. 

It  will  be  noted  that  this  places  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln 
one  generation  earlier  than  Herndon  and  the  H^nks  family, 
and  two  full  generations  earlier  than  Mrs.  Hitchcock. 

In  his  first  letter  he  says: 


220    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

"My  own  research  is  from  Amelia  County,  Virginia, 
wh,ere  William  Hanks  came  from  the  Rappahannock  country 
and  raised  a  family  of  twelve  children.  One  of  the  girls 
married  Abraham  Lincoln's  father,  Thomas  Lincoln,  and  set 
tled  in  Kentucky." 

But  the  children  of  William  Hanks  appear  to  have  been 
grown  and  doing  business  on  their  own  account  when  the 
family  came  to  Amelia  County  about  1740. 

Nancy  Hanks,  the  mother  of  the  President,  was,  how 
ever,  by  Mr.  Knotts'  showing,  three  years  and  three  or  four 
months  old  in  May,  1799.  There  is  a  wide  margin  and 
apparent  discrepancy  here. 

If  Mr.  Knotts  really  intended  to  locate  Nancy  in  this 
generation,  as  the  daughter  of  William  Hanks,  and  a  sister 
of  Luke,  she  would  have  been,  as  I  estimate,  at  the  time  of 
her  alleged  indiscretion,  a  giddy  young  thing  of  somewhere 
between  sixty-four  to  seventy-two.  I  could  not  think  Mr. 
Knotts  intended  this,  particularly  as  he  included  her  in  the 
list  of  heirs  of  Luke  Hanks.  Neither  could  I  obtain  from 
the  county  officials  a  certified  list  of  th^e  heirs  of  Luke  Hanks 
with  a  statement  of  their  relationship  to  him,  although  I  ex 
hausted  all  known  possibilities  in  this  direction. 

Here  is  the  first  weakness  in  the  argument  of  Mr.  Knotts; 
his  articles  ar,e  not  clear  as  to  the  precise  Nancy  Hanks  who 
flirted  with  John  C.  Calhoun.  He  shows  with  convincing 
detail  how  many  women  of  that  name  there  were,  and  sets 
forth  the  difficulty  of  accepting  the  conclusions  of  Mrs.  Hitch 
cock  and  Miss  Tarbell  as  to  her  identification  with  the  heiress 
of  the  pied  heifer;  but  he  does  not  give  us  a  clear  statement 
concerning  the  only  Nancy  in  whom  for  the  purpose  of  this 
investigation  we  are  interested. 

John  C.  Calhoun  returned  to  South  Carolina  from  the 
law  school  about  a  year  and  a  half  before  the  birth  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  The  family  of  Luke  Hanks  was  in  that  neighbor 
hood.  But  the  list  of  Luke  Hanks'  children,  as  furnished 
by  Mr.  Knotts  as  from  the  first  court  records,  contains  no 
daughter  of  his  named  Nancy;1  and  if  she  were  a  sister  of 

1  There  was  a  daughter  Nancy,  however,  as  shown  by  these  records, 
and  she  completely  upsets  Mr.  Knott's  theory  as  we  shall  discover. 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  221 

approximately  the  age  of  Luke,  the  youngest  son  of  William, 
she  was,  to  say  the  very  least,  old  enough  to  have  known  bet 
ter.  She  was  nearer  seventy-three  than  twenty-three. 

I  confided  this  difficulty  to  Mr.  Knotts  who  tells  me  that 
this  is  not  what  he  intended;  that  Nancy  was  not  the  sister 
but  the  youngest  daughter  of  Luke  Hanks.  But  I  could  not 
find  Nancy  in  his  own  list  of  Luke  Hanks'  children.  Her  name 
first  appears,  as  he  declares,  in  1833: 

"  Nothing  more  is  of  record  until  1833  "  when  the  suit  for 
division  was  brought,  and  a  list  of  heirs  filed,  evidently  not 
all  of  them  children,  for  there  were  fifty-six  of  them,  with 
degree  of  relationship  apparently  not  stated,  and  twenty- 
seven  are  beyond  the  State;  and  "Amongst  them  appears  a 
new  heir  to  this  humble  estate,  Nancy  Hanks/' 

I  made  diligent  effort  to  secure  from  the  court  officials 
of  Anderson  and  Abbeville  something  that  would  enable  me 
to  determine  the  relationship  of  this  Nancy  Hanks  to  the 
family  in  general  and  to  the  mother  of  Abraham  Lincoln  in 
particular,  but  they  wrote  me  that  they  could  give  me  no 
assistance. 

But  in  a  work  of  this  kind  one  must  never  be  discouraged. 
After  I  had  nearly  given  up  the  effort  to  locate  this  particular 
Nancy  Hanks,  I  tried  once  more,  and  I  find  that  Mr.  Knotts  is 
mistaken  in  a  vital  point. 

The  long  list  of  heirs  at  law  of  Luke  and  Ann  Hanks  as 
divergently  set  forth  in  the  two  suits  for  partition,  included, 
of  cours,e,  grandchildren  as  well  as  children.  I  desired  to 
learn  precisely  the  names  and  if  possible  the  relative  ages  of 
the  children  of  Luke  and  Ann  Hanks,  in  order  to  determine, 
if  possible,  whether  there  was,  in  1807,  a  youngest  and  un 
married  daughter  Nancy,  who  might  have  been  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Lincoln.  Several  attempts  to  secure  this  information 
failed;  but  a  further  search,  made  for  me  by  Mr.  G.  H. 
Geiger,  attorney  at  law  in  Anderson,  brings  me  the  follow 
ing  lists  as  they  were  presented  and  approved  at  the  two 
suits : 

The  two  lists  of  children  of  Luke  and  Ann  Hanks  as 
contained  in : 


222    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Judgment  Roll  N.  286  in  the  Judge  of  Probate's  Office 
For  Anderson  County,  at  Anderson,  South  Carolina. 
State  of  South  Carolina 
County  of  Anderson. 

Personally  appeared  David  Rupell  and  Luke  Hanie  and 
being  in  due  form  of  law  sworn  say  that  they  are  well  ac- 

Luke 

quainted  with  the  land  belonging  to  the  estate  of — Anna — 
Hanks  deed  for  which  application  is  now  made  for  partition  by 
the  Court  of  Ordinary  &  that  it  is  not  worth  one  thousand 
dollars.    Sworn  to  and  subscribed  Jany.  ist., 
1838,  before  me.  David  Rupell 

A.  Evins,  Not.  Pub.  &  Luke  Haynie 

Ex  Off.  Q.h. 

The  land  of  Luke  Hanks,  deed. 
The  Heirs  of 

1.  Elizabeth  Hanie,  formerly  E.  Hanks  (out  of  the  state) 
The  Heirs  of 

2.  Nancy  South  "     Nancy     "     (out  Of) 

3.  Stephen  Hanie  by  right  of  his  wife  Martha  H.  (in) 

4.  Thomas  Hanks   (out) 

5.  Luke  Hanks , (in) 

6.  Polly  Hanks,  Wife  of  George  Hanks  (in) 

7.  Charles  Hanie  by  right  of  his  wife  Susan  (in) 

8.  Louie  Pruitt  formerly  Louie  Hanks  (out) 

9.  Robert  Hanks  (out) 

10.  Judith  Hanie  Alias  Judith  Hall  for,  Hanks  (in) 

11.  John  Hanks —  (out) 

Luke 

Land  of — Anna — Hanks  Dtecd.  210  acres  lying  on  waters  of 
Rockey  River  bounded  by  lands  of  Luke  Hanks  John  Martin, 
Wm.  Prichard  and  others 

1.  Thomas  Hanks 

2.  Luke  Hanks   (in  the  State) 

3.  Robert  Hanks 

4.  (in)  Polly  Hanks,  wife  of  George  Hanks,  deceased. 

5.  John  Hanks 
The  Heirs— 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  228 

6.  Elizabeth  Hanie,  formerly  E.  Hanks 

7.  Martha  Hanie,  wife  of   Stephen  Hanie 

8.  (in)  Scilla  South,  wife  of  Wm.  South 

9.  Th.e  heirs  of  Nancy  South,  formerly  Hanks 

10.  Judith  Hanie,  wife  of  Anthony  Hanie 

11.  Lucretia  Pruit 

Sold  on  a  credit  of  twelve  months. 

This  is  the  complete  record  of  the  judgment  roll. 

G.  H.  GEIGER, 
Attorney  at  Law. 

Anderson,  South  Carolina. 

It  is  evident  that  these  two  lists  were  prepared  independ 
ently,  and  that  the  latter  was  not  copied  from  the  earlier 
list.  This  is  shown  in  the  different  order  in  which  the 
names  appear,  the  fact  that  at  least  one  of  the  heirs  appears 
to  have  died  between  the  first  and  second  suits,  and  that  there 
is  a  discrepancy  as  to  one  of  the  daughters.  As  that  dis 
crepancy  does  not  concern  our  inquiry,  I  have  made  no  effort 
to  reconcile  it.  I  may  suggest,  however,  that  Susan  and 
Scylla  may  have  been  the  same  daughter  and  that  she  was 
twice  married.  That  is  for  our  purpose  immaterial;  and 
the  two  lists  may  be  thus  compared  as  to  the  number  and 
position  of  the  names: 

THE  TWO  LISTS  OF  HANKS*  HEIRS 

1.  Elizabeth  Hanie  (out)          6.    Elizabeth  Hanie,  former 

ly  Hanks 

2.  Nancy   South,    formerly  9.    Heirs  of  Nancy  South, 
Hanks  (out)  formerly  Hanks 

3.  Martha,  wife  of  Stephen  7.    Martha  Hanie 
Hanie  (in) 

4.  Thomas  Hanks  (out)  i.    Thomas   Hanks 

5.  Luke  Hanks  (in)  2.    Luke  Hanks 

6.  Polly,    wife    of    George  4.    Polly,   wife   of   George, 
Hanks   (in)  deceased 

7.  Susan,  wife  of  Charles 
Hanie  (in) 

8.  Lucretia  or  Louie  Pruitt  n.    Lucretia  Pruitt 
(out) 


224    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

9.    Robert  Hanks  (out)  3.  Robert  Hanks 

10.  Judith  Hanie,  alias  Hall  10.  Judith,  wife  of  Anthony 
(in)  Hanie 

11.  John  Hanks  (out)  5.  John  Hanks 

8.    Scilla    South,    wife    of 
Wm.   South. 


These  two  lists  are  valuable  for  our  purposes.  They  show 
that,— 

1.  There  was  a  Nancy  Hanks,  daughter  of  Luke  and 
Ann  Hanks. 

2.  She  probably  was  not  the  youngest  daughter,  since  her 
name  occurs  early  in  the  first  list ;  and  it  is  not  likely  that  she 
was  unmarried  and  serving  in  the  tavern  as  late  as  1807. 

3.  She  is  not  unaccounted  for.    Though  living  beyond  the 
State,  her  name  is  known. 

4.  She  never  married  Thomas  Lincoln.     She  was  mar 
ried,  and  h,er  name  was  South. 

Not  only  was  there  no  missing  Nancy,  but  Nancy  had 
been  married  to  one  South,  and  was  dead  before  the  final 
settlement,  but  not  in  1833. 

This  completely  settles  the  report  that  the  young  woman 
whom  Thomas  Lincoln  married  was  a  daughter  of  Luke  and 
Ann  Hanks,  who  had  previously  been  seduced  by  John  C.  Cal- 
houn. 

We  may  dismiss  with  brief  scrutiny  the  lodge-room  gossip. 

John  C.  Calhoun  died  March  31,  1850.  He  and  Lincoln 
probably  met  during  Lincoln's  one  term  in  Congress  in  1848-9. 
General  Armistead  Burt,  who  is  said  to  have  married  a  niece 
of  Calhoun,  is  said  to  have  told  in  confidence  to  a  few  com 
panions  in  a  lodge-room  that  Calhoun  in  his  young  manhood 
became  intimate  with  a  poor  girl,  whom  the  tradition,  as  it  came 
to  Mr.  Knotts  many  years  afterward,  named  as  Nancy  Hanks. 
This  confidential  conversation  is  supposed  to  have  occurred 
in  the  seventies,  sixty  or  more  years  after  the  event,  and  an 
other  forty  years  went  by  before  Mr.  Knotts  learned  and 
published  it.  In  these  two  periods  of  oral  transmission  there 
was  abundant  opportunity  for  such  a  story  to  grow  out  of 


JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  225 

nothing  to  any  conceivable  proportions.  As  a  leak  from  the 
confidential  gossip  of  a  lodge-room  it  stands  on  no  basis  which 
entitles  it  to  any  more  than  passing  attention. 

Mr.  Knotts  thinks  he  has  established  a  connection  between 
thes,e  stories  of  Calhoun  and  the  paternity  of  Lincoln,  in  the 
alleged  interview  of  James  L.  Orr,  a  young  man  from  South 
Carolina,  who  visited  Washington  in  1849,  where  he  met 
Abraham  Lincoln,  and  found  him  uncommunicative  on  the 
subject  of  his  Hanks  ancestry.  If  such  an  interview  occurred, 
there  is  no  reason  to  dispute  that  Mr.  Lincoln  showed  reti 
cence;  but  that  is  no  proof  that  he  admitted  by  implication 
any  such  story  as  has  now  grown  up  in  South  Carolina. 

The  other  line  of  gossip,  which  is  based  on  what  Mrs.  Felix 
Walker  is  alleged  to  have  said  about  the  young  girl  whom 
her  husband  had  arranged  to  send  over  the  mountains,  is  of 
just  as  little  evidential  value,  excepting  for  this,  that  it  shows 
this  to  be  an  outgrowth  of  the  North  Carolina  Enloe  story. 
Even  with  John  C.  Calhoun  as  the  principal  actor,  it  is  nec 
essary  to  bring  in  Abraham  Enloe  as  an  accessory.  The  Cal 
houn  story  ought  to  have  been  created  with  sufficient  strength 
of  its  own  to  stand  upon  its  own  feet,  and  not  limp  on  th,e 
Enloe  crutch. 

We  move  rapidly  over  these  details,  for  they  are  not  worth 
discussing.  They  bring  us  to  the  real  issue,  and  to  a  certain 
result.  John  C.  Calhoun  may  have  stopped  at  the  Crayton- 
ville  tavern  in  1808,  but  if  he  did  the  girl  who  passed  him 
the  corn-bread  and  long-sweetening  was  not  Nancy  Hanks 
Lincoln.  She  was  not  there.  She  was  living  temporarily  on 
the  Brownfield  farm,  in  Hardin  County,  Kentucky,  and  had 
a  baby  girl  toddling  about  the  cabin  where  she  baked  hoe- 
cake  for  Thomas  Lincoln,  and  dreamed  of  the  day  when  she 
should  be  living  in  her  own  home  over  by  the  Rock  Spring, 
and  the  mother  of  a  son. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  not  quite  three  miles  south 
from  where  the  village  of  Hodgenville  now  stands,  in  Hardin, 
then  La  Rue  County,  Kentucky,  on  Sunday,  February  12, 
1809.  Let  us  fix  that  date  in  our  mind  as  one  that  we  shall 
not  need  to  move.  Any  credible  theory  of  the  paternity  of 


226    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Lincoln  must  face  the  fact  that  he  was  born  there  and  on 
that  date. 

What  Mr.  Knotts  has  proved  is  this: 

That  John  C.  Calhoun  rode  the  circuit  after  his  return 
from  law  school  in  1807,  and  may  have  stopped  once  or  more 
at  the  tavern  at  Craytonville,  which  for  a  time,  and  perhaps 
at  that  time,  was  kept  by  Ann,  the  widow  of  Luke  Hanks. 

That  there  were  more  Hanks  girls  named  Nancy  than  one, 
and  that  there  is  a  reasonable  doubt  whether  Mrs.  Hitchcock's 
conjectural  identification  is  correct. 

That  there  were  certain  rumors  afloat  some  twenty  years 
after  the  death  of  Mr.  Calhoun,  and  sixty  or  more  years  after 
the  events  narrated,  to  the  effect  that  Mr.  Calhoun,  while  gen 
erally  a  moral  man,  looked  back  on  his  youth  with  regret  for 
one  mistake,  involving  a  girl  whom  this  belated  rumor  named 
after  the  mother  of  President  Lincoln,  Nancy  Hanks. 

That  certain  features  of  the  Enloe  story  of  North  Carolina, 
and  certain  facts  concerning  the  residence  of  Thomas  Lincoln's 
uncle  Isaac,  can  be  wrought  into  the  story. 

But  this  is  a  house  of  cards,  which  a  very  mild  breeze  might 
blow  over,  and  it  falls  utterly  before  the  tempestuous  fact  that 
Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks  were  married  at  Beech- 
land,  Washington  County,  Kentucky,  by  Jesse  Head,  on  June 
12,  1806,  and  that  they  lived  together  continuously  in  Hardin 
County,  Kentucky,  until  the  birth  of  their  second  child,  Abra 
ham,  on  February  12,  1809,  and  that  they  continued  thereafter 
to  live  together  as  husband  and  wife  in  that  county  and  in 
Indiana  until  the  death  of  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln. 

In  the  face  of  that  indubitable  fact,  there  is  no  use  wast 
ing  any  more  time  over  the  charge  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
the  son  of  John  C.  Calhoun. 


CHAPTER   XXV 
DO  THESE  STORIES  SUPPORT  EACH  OTHER? 

IT  is  important  to  ask  whether  these  stories  support  each  other, 
or  whether  they  contradict  each  other. 

A  wholly  unwarranted  inference  has  been  drawn  by  some 
writers  from  the  number  of  forms  in  which  the  Enlow  story 
is  found. 

"  Behold,"  they  say,  "  how  widespread  is  this  rumor. 
Where  there  is  so  much  smoke,  there  must  be  some  fire.  Each 
of  these  stories,  though  having  a  different  man  for  its  hero, 
adds  its  element  of  cumulative  proof  that  some  Abraham  En- 
low  was  the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln." 

Precisely  the  opposite  is  the  logical  inference. 

Ally  proof  adduced  to  show  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
the  son  of  Abraham  Enloe  of  North  Carolina  is  adverse  proof 
of  his  having  been  the  son  of  any  and  every  other  Abraham 
Enlow.  These  stories  devour  each  other  like  the  Kilkenny 
cats. 

If  we  adduce  sufficient  evidence  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
sired  by  a  man  in  North  Carolina,  whether  his  name  was 
Abraham  Enloe  or  John  C.  Calhoun,  or  John  Doe  or  Richard 
Roe,  we  weaken  to  that  same  extent  any  claim  or  rumor  or 
suspicion  that  he  was  the  son  of  Abraham  Inlow,  the  miller 
of  Thatcher's  Mills,  or  Abraham  Enlow,  the  farmer  of  Har- 
din  County. 

What  is  more,  we  are  compelled  to  see  that  the  process  of 
creating  these  rumors  is  very  simple.  Once  let  it  fe  said  that 
Abraham  Lincoln's  father  was  Abraham  Enlow,  any  com 
munity  that  had  an  Abraham  Enlow  in  1808  can  easily  start 
a  story  that  Lincoln  was  begotten  there.  Whether  Abraham 
Enlow  was  fourteen  or  eighty  makes  little  difference;  some 
even  of  his  descendants  will  abet  the  rumor  that  links  their 
name  to  that  of  Lincoln. 

227 


228     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

It  is  not  necessary  that  the  Enlow  selected  shall  ever  have 
seen  Kentucky.  It  is  always  possible  to  create  a  Nancy  Hanks, 
a  servant  girl,  who  in  the  space  of  nine  months  could  have 
made  her  journey  thither;  and  if  nine  months  is  not  long 
enough,  as  in  some  instances  it  is  not,  then  an  extension  can 
be  arranged  for  her  journey,  though 'with  a  baby  in  her  arms. 

Not  only  are  innumerable  Abraham  Enlows  produced 
by  the  laudable  desire  to  produce  a  worthy  male  parent  for 
Abraham  Lincoln,  but  nearly  if  not  quite  as  many  Nancy 
Hankses  have  been  discovered  also,  and  each  of  them  in  dan 
gerous  propinquity  to  an  Abraham  Enlow.  Mary  and  her 
little  lamb  are  not  more  invariably  together  than  the  Abra 
ham  Enlows  and  the  Nancy  Hankses.  Everywhere  that  Abra 
ham  went,  Nancy  was  sure  to  go.  Without  exception,  all  the 
Abraham  Enlows  were  men  ready  to  betray  a  poor  girl,  and 
invariably  each  and  every  several  Nancy  fell  a  prompt  victim 
to  his  seductive  snare. 

And  each  Nancy  ultimately  married  Thomas  Lincoln,  the 
same  Thomas  Lincoln.  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  had  hardly 
more  wives  than  Thomas  Lincoln,  if  all  these  stories  are  true; 
but  Solomon  did  not  have  to  call  them  all  by  the  same  name. 
It  is  impossible  to  supply  a  sufficient  number  of  Thomas  Lin- 
coins  to  meet  the  demand  of  the  numberless  Nancys  in  dis 
tress;  and  it  is  sad  to  contemplate  his  embarrassment  who 
never  could  adequately  support  one  wife  in  having  thrust  upon 
him  a  harem  of  young  women  who  had  loved  not  wisely,  but 
too  well,  and  who  depended  upon  his  sole  chivalry  to  save 
them  from  disgrace. 

It  will  be  noted  that  whenever  the  holder  of  any  one  of 
these  several  theories  of  the  illegitimacy  of  Lincoln  is  con 
fronted  by  an  argument  which  he  cannot  answer,  he  replies, 
in  substance,  as  Cathey  does, — 

"  The  very  fact  that  Herndon's  and  Lamon's  lives  of  Lin 
coln  were  suppressed  by  men  of  high  standing  and  influence 
some  years  ago,  and  that  expurgated  parts  of  those  "  lives  " 
were  the  paragraphs  which  related  to  Lincoln's  Enloe  origin, 
is  sufficient  proof  of  the  foundation  on  fact  of  these  state 
ments.  Neither  Col.  Lamon  nor  Mr.  Herndon  would  have 


DO  THEIR  STORIES  AGREE?         229 

recorded  a  lie  about  Lincoln's  paternity,  and  these  suppres 
sors  knew  it." — Gathers  letter  to  Burton,  May  16,  1919. 

This  statement  is  not  conclusive. 

First,  while  it  is  generally  believed  that  influential  friends 
of  Lincoln,  some  of  whom  are  named  in  the  story  of  the  al 
leged  suppression,  bought  up  a  considerable  portion  of  the  edi 
tion  of  each  of  these  two  books  and  destroyed  it,  that  state 
ment  is  also  denied.  Mr.  Weik  informs  me  that  he  personally 
has  been  unable  to  find  any  proof  of  it. 

In  the  second  place,  the  portions  which  suggest  that  Lin 
coln  was  illegitimate  are  not  wholly  removed  from  Herndon's 
second  edition.  There  was  no  second  edition  of  Lamon's 
"Life"  His  "Recollections"  is  a  wholly  different  book, 
and  does  not  relate  at  all  to  Lincoln's  birth,  but  only  to  some 
personal  reminiscences  of  Lamon  himself. 

In  the  third  place,  there  were  other  and  valid  reasons  why 
the  relatives  of  Lincoln  should  not  have  enjoyed  the  books 
of  either  Lamon  or  Herndon.  Lamon  first  published  the 
Browning  letter,  and  his  tone  throughout  is  unpleasant,  while 
his  representation  of  Lincoln  as  cold,  unsympathetic,  ungrate 
ful  and  barely  honest,  as  well  as  utterly  destitute  of  religious 
faith  and  willing  to  deceive  people  or  let  them  deceive  them 
selves  concerning  him,  was  reason  enough  why  it  might  have 
been  suppressed  if  suppression  had  been  possible.  As  for  the 
expurgated  portions  of  Herndon,  the  principal  one  is  the 
"First  Chronicles  of  Reuben"  and  it  is  a  question  whether 
that  piece  of  backwoods  vulgarity  having  once  been  printed, 
it  would  not  have  been  better  to  let  it  stand  to  prevent  people 
who  knew  that  it  had  been  cut  out  from  supposing  it  to  have 
been  worse  than  it  really  was.  It  certainly  was  nothing  for 
the  friends  of  Lincoln  to  be  proud  of;  but  the  worst  that  can 
be  said  about  it  is  that  it  records  a  rude  practical  joke  alleged 
to  have  been  played  upon  two  newly  married  couples  in  show 
ing  each  bridegroom  to  the  bed  where  the  other's  bride  was. 
No  very  serious  consequences  appear  to  have  resulted  before 
the  speedy  discovery  of  the  joke;  but  Lincoln,  who  is  alleged 
to  have  had  a  hand  in  planning  it,  wrote  it  up  in  his  rough 
boyhood,  and  the  community  laughed  over  the  joke  and  his 


230    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

account  of  it.  It  was  not  a  pretty  incident,  but  it  has  been 
taken  too  seriously.  It  was  this,  chiefly,  which  was  eliminated 
in  Herndon's  second  edition. 

These  stories  lend  each  other  no  support.  On  the  con 
trary,  each  one  of  them  contradicts  all  the  others  at  some 
vital  point.  The  more  nearly  any  one  of  them  appears  to  be 
true,  the  more  does  it  become  apparent  that  truth  has  been 
outraged  in  that  and  in  the  others.  These  stories  have  no 
cumulative  value.  They  effectually  disprove  each  other,  and 
each  is  disproved  also  by  independent  evidence. 


CHAPTER   XXVI 
A  SCHOOL  FOR  SCANDAL 

THE  avowed  purpose  of  those  who  disseminate  these  various 
stories  is  to  provide  for  Abraham  Lincoln  a  worthy  and  ade 
quate  father.  God  did  not  make  Lincoln  out  of  nothing,  as 
one  of  them  remarks,  and  to  believe  that  Thomas  Lincoln  was 
his  father  is  to  hold  that  view.  Some  one  must  have  been 
his  father  who  was  capable  of  transmitting  qualities  great 
enough  to  have  developed  into  Abraham  Lincoln. 

The  question  naturally  rises,  If  this  necessity  exists,  why 
stop  with  Abraham  Enlow?  In  what  respect  of  body,  mind 
or  estate  were  the  Enlows  superior  to  the  Lincolns?  Sarah 
Bush  and  the  Johnstons  looked  down  upon  them  both :  what 
evidence  is  there  that  any  one  of  the  numerous  Abraham  En- 
lows  who  are  credited  with  the  paternity  of  Lincoln  could  have 
transmitted  to  him  anything  superior  to  what  was  inherent 
in  Thomas  Lincoln?  The  Enlows  bred  mightily  in  several 
Appalachian  States:  where  is  their  list  of  additional  Lin 
colns  ?  They  are,  indeed,  a  reputable  family :  the  worst  thing 
that  is  known  against  them  is  the  readiness  of  some  of  them, 
but  not  all,  to  smirch  the  reputation  of  their  own  grandfathers 
for  the  sake  of  establishing  a  fictitious  relationship  with  Abra 
ham  Lincoln.1  Why  have  none  of  them  afforded  to  the  world 
more  convincing  proof  by  begetting  other  Lincolns?  They 
still  live,  the  Enlows,  in  homes  not  greatly  superior  to  that 
in  which  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born :  why  did  they  not  trans 
mit  thefr  genius  and  enterprise  to  some  other  of  their  sons? 

A  family  that  has  so  much  genius  to  spare  that  it  can  de 
posit  its  cuckoo  eggs  in  other  nests  and  hatch  eagles  should 
rear  brave  birds  at  home,  and  have  no  need  to  claim  what  does 
not  belong  to  it  in  other  families. 

1  The  Kentucky  Enlows  I  have  found  free  from  any  complicity  in  this 
libel  of  their  ancestor. 

231 


232    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

One  is  impressed  with  the  poverty  of  the  imagination  of 
those  who  exploit  these  opinions.  If  a  worthy  father  must  be 
had  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  why  stop  with  Enlow?  Why  not 
select  a  character  really  great  enough  for  the  purpose? 

For  instance,  there  is  Benjamin  Franklin:  why  not  stir 
up  one  of  the  stories  which  are  not  few,  of  his  gallantries 
while  he  was  in  France,  and  obtain  an  illegitimate  son  of 
high  birth,  who,  returning  to  Philadelphia,  made  his  way  into 
what  was  then  the  western  part  of  Pennsylvania,  there  to 
quarter  his  arms  with  the  Lincolns?  That  would  account 
for  Abraham  Lincoln's  rare  common  sense,  his  native 
shrewdness,  his  sound  judgment,  his  wise  and  benevolent 
humanity. 

Or,  why  not  take  Thomas  Jefferson,  whose  reputation 
would  not  be  greatly  damaged  by  the  story,  and  let  the  man 
who  wrote  the  Declaration  of  Independence  be  the  father  of 
the  man  who  wrote  the  Emancipation  Proclamation,  each  as 
serting,  and  the  latter  in  terms  of  universal  application,  that 
all  men  are  created  free  and  equal,  and  endowed  by  their  Crea 
tor  with  certain  inalienable  rights,  among  which  are  life,  lib 
erty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness? 

Either  of  these  could  be  done,  and  in  a  very  plausible  way, 
and  one  that  would  have  much  to  commend  it.  Moreover, 
there  would  be  even  greater  opportunity  to  appeal  to  Provi 
dence,  and  show  how  thus  God  designed  through  Abraham 
Lincoln  to  accomplish  what  was  inherent  in  the  purpose  of  the 
founders  of  the  Republic,  and  wrought  it  through  the  son  of 
the  one  deemed  most  appropriate. 

And  there  is  always  George  Washington.  When  he  was 
a  young  man  he  went  to  the  far  West — through  Western  Vir 
ginia  and  Pennsylvania,  where  the  Lincolns  foregathered. 
He  was  about  twenty-two,  and  being  detained  by  high  water, 
he  may  have  spent  a  few  days  in  the  home  of,  let  us  say  the 
Herring  family.  We  do  not  know  that  he  did  so,  but  no 
matter  about  that.  Why  should  not  George  Washington  be 
the  father  of  Bathsheba  Herring,  the  mother  of  Thomas  Lin 
coln?  To  be  sure,  Bathsheba  may  have  been  rather  young: 
her  future  husband  being  only  about  thirteen:  but  she  may 


A  SCHOOL  FOR  SCANDAL  233 

have  been  three  or  six  years  older  than  her  Abraham  Lincoln, 
the  grandfather  of  President  Lincoln,  whom  she  subsequently 
married. 

And,  to  make  the  story  complete,  why  shall  not  the  son 
of  Martha  Curtis,  who  married  George  Washington,  have  a 
more  or  less  innocent  flirtation  with  Lucy  Hanks,  and  so 
become  the  father  of  Nancy? 

This  would  provide  for  Lincoln  a  really  adequate  parent 
age.  It  would  explain  his  height — he  and  Washington  were 
about  the  same  stature,  and  each  with  very  large  hands  and 
feet  and  relatively  small  head.  And  it  would  show  us,  too, 
why  Providence  left  George  and  Martha  Washington  without 
children,  that  he  might  become  the  father  and  she  the  mother, 
by  descent,  of  the  greatest  of  the  children  of  the  land  that 
calls  him  the  Father  of  his  Country. 

I  am  trying  to  make  this  whole  thing  as  ridiculous  as  I 
can, — to  reduce  the  whole  affair  to  an  absurdity :  but  like  the 
hero  of  Holmes'  poem,  who  did  not  dare  to  be  as  funny  as 
he  could,  I  dare  not  work  out  in  detail  an  absurd  imagina 
tion  like  this,  because  I  could  make  it  so  plausible  that  some 
foolish  reader  would  surely  believe  it. 

It  is  not  possible  even  to  suggest  a  line  of  reasoning  in 
such  matters  that  shall  be  sufficiently  absurd  to  be  of  use  as 
a  reductio  ad  absurdum.  Nothing  is  too  absurd  for  scandal 
mongers  in  matters  of  this  character.  Wherefore  I  will  not 
show  how  plausible  this  and  any  of  the  following  suggestions 
could  be  made. 

But,  to  show  how  easily  this  sort  of  thing  can  be  done, 
let  me  remind  the  reader  that  if  we  were  really  to  decide  to 
propound  George  and  Martha  Washington  as  progenitors  of 
Lincoln,  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  stop  there.  We  could 
embellish  Lincoln's  ancestry  through  innumerable  collateral 
lines,  and  make  each  one  plausible.  The  farther  back  we  go 
the  easier  it  becomes. 

Every  man  has  two  parents,  and  in  the  second  genera 
tion  his  ancestors  number  four.  In  the  next  there  are  eight, 
then  sixteen,  then  thirty-two,  and  so  on.  In  1700  Abraham 
had  approximately  thirty-two  living  ancestors,  and  in  1620 


284     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

he  had  256.  The  Lincoln  line  has  been  traced  by  Lea  and 
Hutchinson;  the  Hanks  line  by  Mrs.  Hitchcock.  There  is 
opportunity,  with  the  assistance  of  their  books,  to  embellish 
the  record  through  almost  any  of  its  maternal  lines. 

For  instance,  take  Samuel  Lincoln,  Abraham's  first  Ameri 
can  ancestor,  who  was  baptized  in  Hingham,  England,  August 
24,  1622,  and,  coming  to  America  in  1637,  married  there  a  girl 
named  Martha,  whose  last  name  is  unknown.  Why  not  let 
Martha  be  a  Plymouth  girl,  of  any  of  the  best  families  who 
came  over  in  the  Mayflower? 

Then,  with  a  little  work  in  the  collateral  lines  of  the  Hanks 
family,  why  not  prove  that  Nancy  Hanks  was  a  descendant 
of  John  Rolfe  and  Pocohontas?  It  could  very  easily  be  done. 
At  least,  it  would  be  easy  to  find  a  plausible  possibility,  and  that 
without  scandal,  to  fortify  it  with  wills  and  marriage  regis 
ters  and  other  old  records,  and  leave  a  story  that  could  not 
easily  be  disproved,  and  one  much  more  to  the  point  than  any 
of  the  Enlow  stories. 

Every  female  line  that  breaks  off  abruptly,  as  in  the  old 
records  a  majority  of  them  do,  is  an  invitation  to  the  imagi 
nation.  A  few  weeks  spent  in  the  library  of  the  New  England 
Historic-Genealogical  Society  would  give  to  any  person  who 
liked  this  sort  of  thing  material  to  keep  the  admirers  of  Lin 
coln  busy  for  a  generation,  and  it  might  be  so  ingeniously 
done  that  it  could  never  be  disproved. 

It  might  be  objected  by  some  lover  of  scandal  that  while 
this  would  be  a  very  pleasant  diversion,  it  would  hardly  be 
nice  to  dip  one's  pen  in  slime  and  write  all  over  the  fair  name 
of  Martha  Washington  and  other  noble  women. 

But  Truth,  it  must  be  remembered,  is  too  sacred  to  be  sat 
isfied  with  anything  less.  To  those  who  deal  in  these  scandals, 
Truth,  naked  and  shameless  Truth,  is  so  holy  that  we  must 
not  hesitate  to  strip  the  fig-leaf  from  the  reputation  of  any 
woman. 

He  who  slanders  the  mother  of  Abraham  Lincoln  need 
have  no  qualms  concerning  George  Washington  or  his  wife 
or  mother.  This  high  and  holy  quest  for  Truth,  TRUTH, 
must  be  pursued  though  the  heavens  fall. 


A  SCHOOL  FOR  SCANDAL  235 

Very  well,  let  us  note  a  few  of  these  collateral  lines,  and 
see  what  more  we  can  do  for  Abraham  Lincoln. 

We  can  find  among  his  parental  ancestors,  Oliver  Crom 
well,  and  among  his  maternal  forbears  a  daughter  of  Charles 
II.  and  naughty  Nell  Gwyne.  That  should  be  easy.  While 
we  are  about  it,  we  might  as  well  find  him  another  paternal 
ancestor  in  Charles  VII.  of  France,  and  that  gay  flirt,  Agnes 
Sorrel;  and  we  might  wed  one  of  their  sons  with  a  daughter 
of  the  Huguenots.  We  might  also  find  among  the  Quaker 
friends  of  the  Lincolns  in  Pennsylvania  a  descendant  of  Wil 
liam  Penn,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  his  wife  should  not 
be  a  descendant  of  stern  John  Endecott,  who  did  not  love 
Quakers.  It  would  be  well,  also,  to  obtain,  still  in  Pennsyl 
vania,  one  of  the  Pennsylvania  Dutch,  descended  from  Wil 
liam,  Prince  of  Orange:  and  we  could  wed  him  to  a  Scan 
dinavian  daughter  some  degrees  removed  from  Gustavus  Adol- 
phus. 

Having  done  this,  we  might  find  what  other  body  of  immi 
grants  to  America  were  most  in  need  of  representation  in  the 
ancestry  of  Lincoln,  and  with  a  suitable  infusion  of  Mennonite 
and  Scotch-Irish  and  other  blood,  we  could  make  him  the 
incarnate  spirit  of  cosmopolitan  America. 

Let  no  one  suppose  this  sort  of  thing  to  be  difficult.  If 
those  who  have  invented  the  various  stories  about  Lincoln  had 
possessed  a  little  more  imagination,  and  access  to  a  good  gen 
ealogical  library,  they  could  have  wrought  wonders. 

But  when  this  mountain  of  scandal  labors,  it  brings  forth 
this  mouse — Abraham  Enlow. 

That,  positively,  is  not  worth  doing.  We  might  as  well 
accept  Thomas  Lincoln  and  be  done  with  it. 

If  I  were  interested  in  smirching  the  name  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  and  had  a  few  hundred  dollars  to  spare,  I  could  put 
a  good  genealogist  at  work  to  create  for  me  an  ancestral  tree 
for  him  that  would  cast  its  shade  over  all  the  feeble  and  well- 
watered  but  rootless  saplings  that  have  been  industriously  set 
out  and  named  for  the  various  sons  of  the  tribe  of  Enlow. 
But  I  could  not  make  one  sufficiently  absurd  to  prevent  its 
being  believed.  It  is  an  easy  thing  for  Aaron  to  cast  down 


236    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

his  rod  and  produce  a  serpent  that  will  swallow  the  serpents 
of  the  magicians :  I  will  not  do  so,  for  it  would  be  sure  to  raise 
up  a  new  serpent  cult  that  would  burn  incense  to  my  snake. 

There  is  still  another  and  yet  more  interesting  possibility 
for  the  makers  of  Genealogy  to  order.  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
born  in  La  Rue  County,  Kentucky,  February  12,  1809.  Jef 
ferson  Davis  is  alleged  to  have  been  born  in  Christian  County, 
Kentucky,  June  3,  1808.  Seven  months  is  the  time  and  sixty 
miles  the  distance  which  is  alleged  to  have  separated  these  two 
men  at  birth.  It  is  preposterous  that  so  brief  an  interval  of 
time  and  so  short  a  distance  should  stand  in  the  way  of  the 
devotee  of  Truth.  What  is  more  easy  than  to  prove  that  these 
two  men  were  twins  ?  As  to  Jefferson  Davis'  birth  there  are 
as  many  stories  as  about  that  of  Lincoln.  Both  were  tall  men : 
both  were  by  nature  kind-hearted  men.  There  are  resem 
blances  enough  for  the  purposes  of  the  story,  and  a  few  more 
can  be  invented.  Contrasts,  also,  are  abundant. 

Now,  that  would  be  a  story  worth  while.  With  these 
two  men  born  as  twins  and  separated  in  infancy,  meeting 
in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  parting  to  command  opposing 
armies  and  governments  in  the  Civil  War — what  a  story  that 
would  make ! 

For  two  things  we  cannot  bring  ourselves  to  forgive  the 
men  and  women  who  have  disseminated  these  stories  about 
Lincoln's  birth.  The  first  is  that  they  have  ruthlessly  de 
famed  the  virtuous  mother  of  America's  noblest  and  best 
loved  American.  The  second  is  that  they  are  possessed  of 
such  poverty-stricken  imaginations  as  to  be  incapable  of  in 
venting  a  story  worth  telling.  There  are,  to  be  sure,  the  ex 
ceptions  of  Mrs.  Boyd  with  her  Marshall  story,  and  Mr. 
Knotts,  who  really  has  put  some  labor  and  research  into  his 
John  C.  Calhoun  story  and  believes  it.  But  those  who  seek 
to  relieve  Abraham  Lincoln  from  the  disgrace  of  being  a  son 
of  Thomas  Lincoln  and  can  get  no  further  than  Abe  Enlow, 
have  weak  imaginations. 

If  we  want  to  unite  the  name  of  Abraham  Lincoln  more 
closely  to  Kentucky,  let  us  remember  that  Henry  Clay,  who 
was  born  in  Virginia  on  April  12,  1777,  and  came  to  Lex- 


A  SCHOOL  FOR  SCANDAL  237 

ington,  Kentucky,  when  he  was  twenty  years  old,  and  died 
in  Washington  on  June  29,  1852,  was  a  member  of  the  Legis 
lature  in  1808,  and  stumped  the  State  in  the  interests  of  his 
campaign  for  home-made  clothes,  maintaining  that  we  should 
always  be  subject  to  Europe  until  we  had  our  own  manu 
factures,  and  calling  upon  America  to  clothe  as  well  as  feed 
itself.  In  this  campaign  he  may  well  have  visited  Hardin 
County;  why  should  not  the  great  Compromiser  have  been 
the  father  of  the  great  Emancipator?  Why  shall  we  not 
bring  compromise  to  an  end  in  the  son  of  the  man  who  for 
years  invented  the  compromises? 

And,  shall  we  not  find  in  Lincoln's  early  enthusiasm  for 
Clay,  and  his  cooled  ardor  later,  a  discovery  on  Lincoln's 
part  that  Clay  had  not  treated  Lincoln's  mother  honorably  ? 

Henry  Clay  was  tall,  raw-boned,  awkward,  friendly,  pa 
tient,  an  orator  who  appealed  to  common  sense  and  fair  play ; 
what  more  do  we  want  to  prove  that  he  was  the  father  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  ?  And  where  might  Abraham  Lincoln  have 
looked  for  a  better  father?  Why  need  we  go  to  Bourbon 
County  for  Abraham  Enlow  when  Lexington  and  Henry  Clay 
were  nearer? 

With  a  very  little  cutting  and  fitting,  the  events  of  Henry 
Clay's  life  could  be  shaped  to  the  need;  and  there  must  still 
be  old  people  in  Kentucky  who,  if  sufficiently  prompted,  could 
remember  that  he  once  loved  a  girl  named  Nancy  Hanks. 

If  we  decide  upon  Henry  Clay  as  a  suitable  father  for 
Abraham  Lincoln,  we  shall  have  no  serious  difficulty  in 
strengthening  our  hypothesis  by  documentary  material.  It  is 
not  necessary  to  be  so  shy  of  the  calendar  as  are  most  of  those 
who  advocate  these  theories,  and  to  say  that  things  happened 
in  the  year  18 — ;  we  can  do  better  than  that  without  damage 
to  the  theory. 

For  instance,  in  1808,  when  Henry  Clay  may  have  visited 
Hardin  County,  we  remember  that  he  had  recently  returned 
from  his  first  experience  in  Washington,  where  he  had  served 
a  fractional  term  as  United  States  Senator.  He  had  a  gay 
time  in  the  Nation's  Capital.  Besides  his  salary,  he  had  three 
thousand  dollars  which  his  friends  made  up  in  a  purse  to  retain 


238    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

him  on  certain  suits  that  might  rise  in  the  Supreme  Court, 
and  he  got  his  money's  worth  in  Washington.  William  Plum- 
mer,  a  Senator  from  New  Hampshire,  wrote  in  his  diary : 

"  December  29,  1806.  This  day  Henry  Clay,  the  successor 
of  John  Adair,  was  qualified,  and  took  his  place  in  the  Sen 
ate.  He  is  a  young  lawyer.  His  stature  is  tall  and  slender. 
I  had  much  conversation  with  him,  and  it  afforded  me  much 
pleasure.  He  is  intelligent  and  appears  frank  and  candid.  His 
address  is  good,  and  his  manners  easy." 

On  February  13,  1907,  he  wrote: 

"  Henry  Clay  is  a  man  of  pleasure;  fond  of  amusements. 
He  is  a  great  favorite  with  the  ladies;  is  in  all  parties  of  pleas 
ure;  out  almost  every  evening;  reads  very  little;  indeed,  he 
said  he  meant  this  session  should  be  a  tour  of  pleasure." 

It  is  not  necessary  to  make  him  a  grossly  immoral  man. 
He  was  fond  of  ladies  and  they  were  fond  of  him,  and  he  did 
not  leave  all  of  that  fondness  in  Washington.  He  returned 
to  Kentucky,  happy  to  be  back  in  his  own  State,  saying, 
"  After  all  that  I  have  seen,  Kentucky  is  still  my  favorite 
country." 

John  G.  Holland  tells  in  his  Life  of  Lincoln  that  subse 
quently  to  Mr.  Clay's  defeat  for  the  Presidency,  which  was  a 
disappointment  to  Lincoln,  "  Mr.  Lincoln  paid  a  personal  visit 
to  Mr.  Clay.  .  .  .  On  returning  home  from  this  visit,  he  did 
not  attempt  to  disguise  his  disappointment."  (p.  95.)  Lamon 
denies  that  Lincoln  ever  made  such  a  visit;  but  comments  at 
length  on  the  fact  that,  on  July  i,  1852,  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
chosen  by  a  public  meeting  of  his  fellow-citizens  in  Springfield 
to  deliver  in  their  hearing  an  eulogy  on  Clay,  who  had  recently 
died ;  and  that  Lincoln  did  so  on  the  i6th  of  that  month,  but 
his  address  was  cold  and  tame.  (p.  339.)  Surely,  here  is 
material  such  as  we  want !  Lincoln,  an  enthusiastic  supporter 
of  Clay,  making  a  secret  visit  to  him  at  Ashland,  and  his  biog 
raphers  trying  to  hush  it  up,  and  Lincoln,  with  the  honor 
thrust  upon  him  of  delivering  an  eulogy  upon  the  man  whom 
he  was  known  to  have  admired,  doing  it  with  such  constraint 
that  it  was  noticeable!  What  material  have  we  not  here  for 
scandal!  Let  us  desist  from  this  sort  of  thing,  lest  we  find 


A  SCHOOL  FOR  SCANDAL  239 

ourselves  believing  the  lies  we  are  inventing,  and  get  our  minds 
tangled  in  the  web  we  spin  out  of  our  own  bowels! 

But  if  we  really  were  to  undertake  the  task  of  rinding  a 
father  for  Lincoln,  could  we  not  make  a  story  that  would  cause 
all  the  rest  to  turn  green  with  envy  ? 

But  it  is  all  nonsense;  and  is  here  introduced  to  show  how 
easy  it  is  to  make  better  stories  than  those  that  very  credulous 
people  have  so  willingly  believed. 

This  school  for  scandal  is  about  to  close  its  doors,  and 
they  will  not  reopen.  But  before  this  is  done,  let  me  suggest 
one  more  interesting  possibility  for  those  who  would  find 
another  parent  than  Thomas  Lincoln  for  Abraham,  and  who 
are  not  content  with  anything  so  contemptibly  weak  as  the 
Enloe  story. 

"  In  the  year  18 — ,"  meaning  thereby  in  a  very  early  year 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  a  prosperous  man  in  Pennsylvania 
addressed  his  son  who  had  completed  his  legal  studies  in  lan 
guage  something  like  this : 

"  I  have  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Kentucky.  It  is 
a  land  of  promise.  There  will  be  opportunities  there  for  a  ris 
ing  young  lawyer,  and  in  time  the  land' will  make  him  rich.  If 
you  are  disposed  to  go  there  and  establish  yourself  in  your  pro 
fession  and  grow  up  with  the  country,  the  land  shall  be  yours." 

In  due  course  the  young  man,  whose  name  was  James, 
arrived  at  Elizabethtown,  the  county  seat  of  Hardin  County. 
The  county  then  contained  all  of  what  is  now  Hardin  and 
La  Rue  and  much  beside.  It  was  a  hundred  and  forty  miles 
in  length  and  had  an  average  width  of  nearly  fifty  miles.  He 
rode  his  good  horse  to  the  tavern,  and  there  took  up  his  abode. 

On  the  first  court  day  he  met  Ben  Hardin,  attorney  at 
law,  for  whose  family  the  county  had  been  named,  and  was 
shocked  to  see  him  enter  court  in  an  ill-fitting  suit  of  un 
bleached  tow-linen  which  hung  in  unshapely  folds  about  him; 
but  a  little  later  was  surprised  when  this  and  other  lawyers 
addressed  the  court  in  the  rough  log  court  house  to  discover 
with  what  rude  dignity  and  forensic  skill  they  did  their  legal 
business.  This,  surely,  was  the  place  for  an  educated  lawyer 
from  Pennsylvania. 


240    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

At  the  carpenter  shop,  where  he  went  to  see  about  a  table 
and  some  shelves  for  his  small  office,  he  met  not  only  the  car 
penter,  Joseph  Hanks,  but  he  met  also  a  very  attractive  girl 
named  Nancy  Hanks.  Incidentally  he  met  a  big,  illiterate, 
but  good-natured,  apprentice,  Tom  Lincoln,  by  name. 

The  business  of  procuring  the  table  and  book  shelves  called 
James  to  the  carpenter  shop  a  number  of  times,  and  each  time 
he  was  more  deeply  smitten  with  the  charm  of  Nancy.  She, 
poor  girl,  was  flattered  by  the  attentions  of  the  best  dressed 
man  in  town,  the  rising  young  lawyer  and  owner  of  a  great 
domain. 

After  matters  had  gone  much  too  far,  James  considered 
the  social  gap  between  him  and  this  young  woman,  and  thought 
of  the  more  cultured  beauties  of  his  early  life. 

He  had  a  secret  interview  with  the  young  apprentice,  and 
said : 

"  You  love  Nancy  and  so  do  I ;  but  I  will  not  be  selfish. 
You  loved  her  first,  and  while  she  seems  to  like  me,  I  know 
that  her  heart  is  yours.  Tomorrow  I  go  to  court  at  Lexington, 
and  I  shall  not  come  back.  Marry  her,  and  may  you  both  be 
happy." 

He  rode  away,  and  soon  Nancy  received  word  that  he  was 
never  to  return.  Appalled  by  the  situation  in  which  she  found 
herself,  she  accepted  the  offer  of  Tom  Lincoln,  who  then 
learned  why  James  had  been  so  generous,  but  determined  to 
make  the  best  of  it. 

James  returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  established  a  lucra 
tive  practice.  In  time  he  entered  politics  and  became  noted. 
But  he  never  married.  Famous  beauties  attempted  to  ensnare 
his  heart,  but  he  never  was  able  to  love  any  of  them.  All 
that  he  ever  told  was  that  he  had  loved  once  and  found  that 
he  could  never  love  again. 

Years  went  by.  The  nation  was  on  the  brink  of  civil  war. 
The  man  in  the  White  House  was  unable  to  command  the  sit 
uation.  During  the  last  months  of  his  administration  his  ex 
hibition  of  weakness  was  pitiable.  The  nation  and  the  world 
awaited  the  coming  of  the  man  whose  mastery  of  the  situa 
tion  was  to  save  the  country. 


A  SCHOOL  FOR  SCANDAL  241 

On  the  fourth  day  of  March,  1861,  the  retiring  President 
and  the  President-elect  stood  together  in  front  of  the  Capitol, 
and  the  new  President  took  the  oath  of  office  and  delivered 
his  brief  inaugural.  Why  was  the  retiring  President  so  pale? 
Why  did  he  tremble  as  he  stood  beside  the  powerful  giant  who 
had  risen  from  Kentucky's  woods  to  the  White  House  ?  Was 
it  because  he  saw,  underneath  all  the  mighty  contrasts  between 
himself  and  this  man,  a  resemblance  that  could  mean  but  one 
thing?  Had  Providence  denied  him  wife  and  child  that  he 
might  see  his  own  son  come  now  to  honor  while  he,  the  father, 
slunk  away  into  merited  oblivion? 

The  reader  will  see  what  an  attractive  theme  the  scandal 
mongers  have  missed.  It  would  be  very  easy  to  make  it  so 
plausible  that  a  goodly  number  of  people  would  believe  it. 

Yes,  it  is  true  that  the  father  of  James  Buchanan  bought 
land  in  Hardin  County,  and  that  James  went  thither  and  began 
a  law  practice,  and  left  suddenly  and  did  not  return.  And 
enough  more  details  could  easily  be  discovered  or  created  to 
make  as  good  or  bad  a  story  as  any  one  might  desire.  It  is 
true  that  he  never  married. 

But  before  the  reader  becomes  too  greatly  fascinated  with 
this  interesting  story,  let  him  consider  the  bearing  of  one  or 
two  inconvenient  dates.  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  February 
12,  1809.  James  Buchanan  first  came  to  Elizabethtown  in  the 
spring  of  1813,  four  years  after  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born. 

It  is  a  pity  to  wreck  so  good  a  story  on  so  small  a  fact. 
But  the  fact  is  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  not  the  son  of  James 
Buchanan  any  more  than  he  was  the  grandson  of  Washington 
or  Jefferson  or  Franklin.  But  he  was  as  much  their  son  as 
he  was  the  son  of  Abraham  Enlow. 

It  is  a  poor  rule  that  will  not  work  both  ways.  It  is  not 
fair  that  Thomas  Lincoln  should  be  the  invariable  cuckold, 
or  that  every  woman  named  Nancy  Hanks  and  no  others 
should  be  frail.  The  worm  will  turn.  Let  Thomas  Lincoln 
have  his  innings.  If  we  are  to  invent  stories  of  this  character 
as  freely  as  stories  have  been  invented,  let  at  least  half  of  them 
deal  with  the  notable  children  of  Thomas  Lincoln. 

Let  us  send  Thomas  Lincoln  in  1808  on  a  visit  to  his  uncle, 


242    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Isaac  Lincoln,  in  East  Tennessee,  and  on  into  North  Caro 
lina.  Was  there  not  born  in  that  period  a  lad  who  rose  so 
far  above  his  own  supposed  heredity  and  his  early  environ 
ment  as  to  give  rise  to  serious  question  of  his  paternity?  We 
can  explain  it  very  easily  if  we  suppose  Thomas  Lincoln  to 
have  been  the  father  of  Andrew  Johnson,  who  was  born  De 
cember  29,  1808,  and  who  became  Vice-President  with  Lin 
coln,  and  succeeded  him  as  President.  A  great  many  hitherto 
unexplained  events  will  now  become  clear. 

But  there  is  no  need  to  stop  here.  May  not  Thomas  Lin 
coln  in  the  spring  before  his  marriage  to  Nancy  Hanks  have 
made  a  journey  back  to  his  old  State,  Virginia?  Robert  E. 
Lee  was  born  January  19,  1807.  What  a  dramatic  story 
could  we  make  out  of  the  half-brotherhood  of  Lincoln  and 
Lee!  Moreover,  the  story  can  be  worked  out  in  elaborate 
detail,  and  with  much  of  plausibility,  which  I  forbear  to  com 
mit  to  print. 

A  good  many  distinguished  men  were  born  in  Indiana  be 
tween  1816  and  1830,  some  of  them  unaccountably  greater 
than  their  fathers.  Why  may  not  Thomas  Lincoln  have  been 
considering  in  that  period  his  nation's  need  of  more  men  like 
his  son  Abraham? 

There  have  lived  and  still  live  in  Illinois  a  considerable 
number  of  statesmen  born  within  the  period  of  Thomas  Lin 
coln's  residence  in  that  State  who  are  proud  of  their  resem 
blance  to  Abraham  Lincoln.  They  wear  their  beards  like  him. 
They  affect  a  style  of  dress  that  suggests  him.  They  fall  into 
poses  that  remind  people  more  or  less  vividly  of  Lincoln.  Some 
of  these  men  are  now  dead,  but  a  few  still  are  living,  and 
the  author  can  bear  testimony  to  their  pride  in  their  supposed 
resemblance  to  Lincoln.  Shall  we  account  for  this  wholly  in 
terms  of  inches  of  height  or  of  the  work  of  the  barber?  Why 
not  accept  the  conclusion  that  they  are  all  half-brothers  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  and  that  Thomas  was  the  father  of  innu 
merable  sons? 

If  one  begins  in  this  way  there  is  no  ending.  But  a  series 
of  stories  of  this  character  would  have  one  marked  advantage 
over  the  stories  that  impugn  the  virtue  of  President  Lincoln's 


A  SCHOOL  FOR  SCANDAL  243 

mother.  There  is  a  limit  to  the  number  of  Nancy  Hankses 
who  could  by  any  possibility  have  been  the  mother  of  Abra 
ham  Lincoln;  but  there  is  no  corresponding  limit  to  the 
number  of  sons  who  might  have  been  born  to  Thomas  Lin 
coln.  That  which  is  sauce  for  the  goose  is  sauce  for  the 
gander.  If  we  are  to  lend  a  credulous  ear  to  every  foolish 
story  that  challenges  the  paternity  of  Lincoln,  let  us  remem 
ber  that  if  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  discover  physical  possibili 
ties,  then  for  every  possible  illegitimate  son  borne  by  Nancy 
Hanks,  we  can  produce  ten  such  sons,  illustrious  and  widely 
distributed,  who  might  possibly  have  been  sired  by  Thomas 
Lincoln. 

And  these  stories  about  Abraham  Lincoln's  parentage  are 
all  lies,  and  proceed  from  the  father  of  lies. 

This  chapter  is  not  as  original  as  I  supposed  when  I  wrote 
it.  Mr.  Hugh  McLellan  informs  me  that  his  father,  a  Con 
federate  officer,  often  heard  in  the  army  that  Abraham  Lincoln 
and  Jefferson  Davis  had  a  common  father;  and  I  have  found 
traces  of  the  Henry  Clay  story  also. 

This  school  for  scandal  is  now  closed. 

But  it  will  have  done  good  educational  work  if  it  reminds 
the  students  therein  that  if  one  cares  for  stories  of  this  kind 
he  can  invent  them,  a  dozen  in  a  day,  and  support  them  with 
dates  and  details  far  more  plausible  than  attend  any  of  the 
stories  about  the  paternity  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


CHAPTER    XXVII 
A  FEW  FIXED  DATES 

IN  the  process  of  this  inquiry  we  have  fixed  a  few  dates  be 
yond  question.  There  are  a  few  more  that  should  be  recorded. 
For  he  who  undertakes  to  challenge  the  record  of  the  parent 
age  of  Abraham  Lincoln  must  deal  with  definite  places  and 
times.  Indictments  are  frequently  quashed  because  the  crimes 
alleged  are  not  shown  to  have  occurred  within  a  definite  county 
or  on  any  particular  date. 

Quaint  old  Thomas  Fuller  wrote: 

"  Chronology  is  a  surly,  churlish  cur,  and  hath  bit  many 
a  man's  fingers.  Blame  me  not,  therefore,  if  willing  to  keep 
my  hands  whole." 

That  little  sentiment  might  well  have  been  adopted  by  all 
who  have  circulated  these  stories  about  Abraham  Lincoln. 
At  the  first  whistle  for  that  surly  dog,  Chronology,  they  flee 
in  terror;  and  all  of  them  emerge  with  bleeding  fingers  and 
clothing  torn  to  shreds. 

The  importance  of  the  date  of  Abraham  Lincoln's  birth 
is  so  great  that  we  may  be  justified  in  assuming  that  some 
one  will  ask  on  what  authority  we  receive  the  date  of  Feb 
ruary  12,  1809,  as  the  birthday  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

First  of  all,  we  have  it  on  the  testimony  of  the  Lincoln 
family  Bible,  in  which  the  record  was  written  by  Abraham 
Lincoln  himself,  while  his  father  was  yet  living,  and  long 
before  any  of  these  questions  came  into  controversy,  and  when 
there  was  not  the  slightest  reason  on  the  part  of  either  to 
deceive.  That  is  in  itself  ample  evidence,  and  all  that  in  any 
ordinary  case  can  be  produced  to  establish  the  date  of  a  man's 
birth. 

Let  the  reader  pause  a  moment  and  ask  what  proof  he  has 
of  the  date  of  his  own  birth;  and  he  may  find  that  he  has 
little  more  than  this. 

244 


A  FEW  FIXED  DATES  245 

But  it  happens  that  we  have  still  another  proof.  As  Abra 
ham  Lincoln  approached  his  twenty-first  year  he  grew  very 
restless,  and  wished  for  his  freedom.  On  this  point  Mr.  Hern- 
don  had  first-hand  evidence  from  William  Wood,  the  "  Uncle 
Wood  "  of  the  Lincoln  household  in  Indiana.  On  the  basis 
of  this  and  such  other  information  as  Herndon  had  assem 
bled,  Lamon  says: 

In  1828  Abe  had  become  very  tired  of  his  home.  He  was 
now  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  becoming  daily  more  restive 
under  the  restraints  of  servitude  which  bound  him.  He  was 
anxious  to  try  the  world  for  himself,  and  make  his  way  ac 
cording  to  his  own  notions.  "  Abe  came  to  my  house  one  day," 
says  Mr.  Wood,  "  and  stood  round  about,  timid  and  shy.  I 
knew  he  wanted  something,  and  said  to  him,  'Abe,  what's 
your  case  ? '  He  replied,  '  Uncle,  I  want  you  to  go  to  the 
river,  and  give  me  some  recommendation  to  some  boat/  I 
remarked,  *  Abe,  your  age  is  against  you.  You  are  not  twenty 
yet.'  '  I  know  that,  but  I  want  a  start/  said  Abe.  '  I  con 
cluded  not  to  go  for  the  boy's  good."  Poor  Abe !  Tom  still 
had  a  claim  on  him,  which  even  Uncle  Wood  would  not  help 
him  evade.  He  must  wait  a  few  weary  months  before  he 
would  be  of  age,  and  could  say  that  he  was  his  own  man, 
and  go  his  own  way.  Old  Tom  was  a  hard  taskmaster  to  him, 
and  no  doubt  consumed  the  greater  part,  if  not  all,  of  his 
wages. — " Life  of  Lincoln"  pp.  7071. 

"  Uncle  Wood/'  who  subscribed  for  two  newspapers,  which 
Abraham  regularly  read,  had  influence  with  the  boy.  Abra 
ham  remained  with  his  father  until  he  was  of  age.  He  re 
moved  to  Illinois  with  the  family,  assisted  his  father  in  erecting 
his  new  home,  and  then  hired  himself  out  to  other  fanners  in 
the  vicinity,  and  did  not  return  to  his  home  to  live.  Abraham 
Lincoln  knew  when  his  twenty-first  birthday  occurred,  and  did 
not  hesitate  to  take  advantage  of  his  freedom  when  it  was 
legally  his. 

But  beside  all  this,  Abraham's  memories  of  Kentucky  as 
he  recalled  them  in  after  life  were  those  of  a  child  under  ten; 
and  his  growth  in  body  and  mind  in  Indiana  was  the  normal 


246    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

growth  of  such  a  boy  of  the  age  which  he  should  have  been 
and  was,  reckoning  his  birth  from  February  12,  1809. 

The  birthday  of  Abraham  Lincoln  is  a  fixed  date. 

The  marriage  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  is  a  fixed 
date.  No  one  knows  this  better  than  Mr.  Knotts,  or  realizes 
better  than  he  that  the  marriage  record  at  Springfield,  Ken 
tucky,  is  absolutely  fatal  to  his  theory.  He,  therefore,  has 
recourse  to  the  desperate  and  futile  expedient  of  attacking 
the  record.  According  to  his  theory,  the  discovery  of  the 
marriage  bond  and  record  was  a  fraud.  There  was  no  Jesse 
Head;  there  was  no  marriage  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln 
at  Beechland,  Washington  County,  Kentucky,  on  June  12, 
1806.  To  prove  this,  he  submits  the  fact  that  he  has  writ 
ten  to  the  authorities  of  the  Southern  Methodist  Church  in 
Nashville  and  Louisville,  a  denomination  which  had  no  exist 
ence  in  1806,  or  until  the  Civil  War,  and  that  that  denomina 
tion  has  no  official  record  of  Rev.  Jesse  Head! 

There  is  record,  however,  of  Rev.  Jesse  Head. 

Jesse  Head  was  a  resident  of  Springfield  before  1800, 
and  in  that  year  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  and  for  Wash 
ington  County.  At  that  time  there  was  a  bounty  for  wolves' 
scalps,  and  there  are  several  certificates  by  Justices  authoriz 
ing  the  bounty  for  those  scalps.  One  of  these  reads  thus: 

"  This  day  came  Leroy  Smith  before  me,  a  Justice  lor 
Washington  County,  and  produced  a  wolf  head  above  six 
months  old,  and  took  the  oath  prescribed  by  law  in  that  case. 
Given  under  my  hand  this  8th  July,  1800.  Jesse  Head." 

JESSE  HEAD'S  COURT  MARTIAL 

A  remarkably  interesting  record  has  been  found  for  me 
by  Mr.  L.  S.  Pence,  attorney,  of  Lebanon,  Kentucky.  It  is 
contained  in  an  aged  book  entitled  "  Record  of  Court  Martials 
in  Washington  County."  The  records  begin  tinder  date  of 
July  15,  1791,  and  come  down  to  the  year  1812.  The  record 
concerning  Jesse  Head  is  as  follows : 

"  May  25,  1793.  Jesse  Head,  returned  as  a  delinquent  is 
cleared  of  [off?]  muster  roll,  he  having  a  license  to  preach 
according  to  the  rules  of  the  sect  to  which  he  belongs." 


A  FEW  FIXED  DATES  247 

Here  is  a  clear  official  record  of  Jesse  Head  absolved  from 
militia  duty  in  1793,  because  he  was  a  licensed  preacher;  and 
we  have  records  of  him  from  that  date  until  1842. 

In  1802  he  was  a  trustee  of  the  town  of  Springfield. 
Among  the  persons  voting  for  him  was  Felix  Grundy,  a  jurist 
of  considerable  distinction,  whose  biography  can  be  found  in 
the  annals  of  the  Kentucky  bar.  On  March  6  of  that 
year,  Felix  Grundy  was  made  President  of  the  Board,  and  on 
A'pril  3  of  the  same  year  Jesse  Head  was  appointed  Commis 
sioner  "to  contract  with  some  proper  person  to  erect  posts 
and  rails  around  the  well  and  public  spring  of  this  town  and 
all  necessary  repairs  to  same." 

In  the  following  year,  1803,  Jesse  Head  was  again  elected 
a  Trustee  of  the  incorporated  town  of  Springfield,  and  suc 
ceeded  Felix  Grundy  as  President  of  the  Board. 

Although  he  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  his  marriages  in 
Washington  County  appear  all  to  have  been  performed  by 
him  as  a  Deacon  in  the  Methodist  Church. 

Between  February  19,  1803,  and  December  25  of  the  same 
year,  he  married  thirteen  couples,  making  a  single  return  for 
them  on  January  2,  1804,  thus :  "  Witness  my  hand,  January 
2,  1804.  Jesse  Head." 

Some  of  the  old  records  are  lost,  or  at  least  have  not  been 
located. 

The  list  immediately  preceding  that  which  contains  the 
names  of  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks  was  returned  by 
him  April  28,  1806,  and  contains  the  names  of  sixteen  couples 
married  by  him  in  the  months  preceding  that  date. 

Hon.  Joseph  Polin,  County  Attorney  of  Washington 
County,  who  made  for  me  a  more  exhaustive  search  of  records 
than  has  ever  been  made  before  in  that  county  with  respect 
to  the  Lincoln  family,  writes: 

"  All  these  records  are  signed,  '  Jesse  Head,  D.M.E.C.' 
It  is  to  be  observed  that  he  uses  the  old  style  letter  '  s ',  making 
the  name  appear  as  though  it  were  'Jefse.'  His  signature 
to  the  orders  as  Justice  is  identical  in  form  with  that  on  the 
Lincoln  marriage  certificate,  and  demonstrates  to  a  certainty 
that  it  was  the  same  man." 


248    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

He  who  would  prove  Jesse  Head  a  myth  and  his  signed 
return  of  the  marriage  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  a  for 
gery  confronts  the  cheerful  task  of  attacking  a  series  of  con 
tinuous  records  in  Washington  County  from  1793  until  some 
years  after  the  marriage  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  these  records 
being  official  and  of  varied  character,  and  relating,  in  the  mat 
ter  of  marriages,  to  some  scores  of  families  known  to  have 
been  resident  in  Washington  County;  and  after  that  another 
series  of  records  in  Harrodsburg  and  vicinity  down  to  the 
probation  of  his  estate  in  1842.  Mr.  Kriotts  would  never  have 
suggested  the  forgery  theory  if  he  had  known  what  body  of 
evidence  he  must  confront. 

This  is  the  place  to  mention  also  the  affidavit  of  Dr.  Chris 
topher  Columbus  Graham  and  the  affidavit  of  William  Hard- 
esty,  both  of  them  unimpeached  witnesses,  who  declare  that 
they  were  actually  present  at  the  wedding,  and  the  declaration 
of  Judge  Richard  J.  Browne  of  Louisville,  who  was  born  in 
Springfield : 

"  Old  Mr.  James  Thompson  and  William  Hardesty  told 
me  many  years  ago  that  they  were  at  the  marriage  of  Thomas 
Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks  at  old  Dick  Berry's,  the  grand 
father  of  Nancy  Hanks,  on  the  banks  of  the  Beech  Fork." 

The  occasion  for  the  search  for  the  documents  in  Wash 
ington  County,  where  it  had  not  been  supposed  worth  while 
to  look  for  them,  was  the  fact  that  people  were  still  living 
whose  parents  had  told  them  that  they  were  present  at  the 
wedding  and  that  it  occurred  in  Washington  County  and  not 
in  Hardin.  The  man  who  made  this  discovery,  Mr.  W.  F. 
Booker,  is  described  by  all  who  knew  him  as  a  man  of  the 
highest  integrity. 

The  forgery  theory  is  squarely  contradicted  by  the  whole 
appearance  of  the  documents,  which  I  have  handled  and  ex 
amined,  and  which  bear  on  their  face  the  marks  of  their  gen 
uineness,  which  is  attested  also  by  every  detail  in  the  circum 
stances  of  their  discovery.  Only  the  most  desperate  necessity 
would  have  driven  Mr.  Knotts  to  the  hypothesis  of  forgery, 
and  it  will  not  avail  to  save  his  theory  from  utter  wreck. 

It  now  becomes  our  duty  to  account  for  Thomas  Lincoln, 


A  FEW  FIXED  DATES  249 

so  far  as  this  may  be  done  from  records  available  and  in 
disputable,  during  the  period  when  according  to  these  various 
stories  he  was  ranging  the  country  from  South  Carolina 
through  North  Carolina,  East  Tennessee  and  Clark  and  Bour 
bon  Counties,  Kentucky,  helping  various  rascals  out  of  the 
troubles  into  which  they  had  gotten  themselves  and  divers 
young  women.  These  several  stories  present  him  to  us  as 
a  fugitive  and  a  vagabond,  wandering  from  State  to  State, 
going  about  like  a  roaring  lion,  seeking  whom  he  might  marry 
who  should  have  married  some  one  else. 

The  early  records  of  the  several  counties  in  Kentucky  are 
incomplete.  The  tax  lists  were  made  out  on  sheets  of  paper 
ruled  by  hand,  sewn  together  with  covers  of  the  same,  and 
made  into  very  insubstantial  and  easily  mislaid  books. 

In  1796  Thomas  Lincoln  was  listed  as  resident  in  Wash 
ington  County  as  a  male  over  sixteen  years  of  age  and  under 
twenty-one.  His  age  then  was  just  sixteen  and  this  is  doubt 
less  his  first  record  on  the  public  documents. 

His  name  does  not  appear  in  the  list  for  1797,  an(^  the 
lists  for  the  next  two  years  have  not  been  found,  but  his  name 
appears  in  the  lists  for  1800  and  1801. 

In  1802  and  1803  m"s  name  is  n°t  found  there.  The  rea 
son  appears  to  be  that  he  was  at  that  time  in  Hardin  County, 
for  there  we  find  him  in  the  latter  year  purchasing  land,  and 
there  is  where  he  was  living  at  the  time  of  his  marriage.  Har 
din  County  does  not  lie  eastward  from  Washington  toward 
the  old  States  of  Virginia  and  Carolinas. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  in  the  sketch  which  he  prepared  for 
John  Locke  Scripps,  stated  that  his  father,  Thomas  Lincoln, 
passed  one  year,  before  reaching  his  majority,  in  the  farm  of 
his  uncle,  Isaac  Lincoln,  in  East  Tennessee.  He  said: 

'  Thomas,  the  youngest  son,  and  father  of  the  present  sub 
ject,  by  the  early  death  of  his  father,  and  very  narrow  cir 
cumstances  of  his  mother,  even  in  childhood  was  a  wander 
ing  laboring-boy  and  grew  up  literally  without  education.  He 
never  did  more  in  the  way  of  writing  than  to  bunglingly 
write  his  own  name.  Before  he  was  grown  he  passed  one 
year  as  a  hired  hand  with  his  uncle  Isaac  on  Watauga,  a 


250    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

branch  of  the  Holston  River.  Getting  back  into  Kentucky, 
and  having  reached  his  twenty-eighth  year,  he  married  Nancy 
Hanks,  mother  of  the  present  subject,  in  1806.  She  also  was 
born  in  Virginia." 

In  what  year  did  Thomas  Lincoln  work  for  his  uncle  Isaac? 
In  one  of  the  years,  certainly,  when  he  was  not  listed  on  the 
tax  book  of  Washington  County,  Kentucky.  And  also  it  was 
"  before  he  was  grown."  It  was,  therefore,  in  some  year  be 
tween  1795  and  1800.  Possibly  his  residence  there  covered 
parts  of  two  years,  and  was  longer  than  twelve  actual  months; 
which  might  account  for  two  missing  years. 

It  was  probably  in  1797,  when  he  was  seventeen  years  old, 
that  he  went  to  the  farm  of  his  uncle  Isaac  in  East  Tennes 
see.  He  returned  to  Washington  County  presumably  in  1798 
or  1799,  for  which  years  the  tax  lists  have  not  been  found, 
and  was  there,  as  we  have  seen,  in  1800  and  1801,  then  mov 
ing  farther  west  to  Hardin  County,  with  which  thereafter 
he  is  chiefly  identified. 

It  is  unlikely  that  Thomas  Lincoln  made  any  journeys  back 
to  the  Eastern  States  from  his  home  in  Hardin  County.  That 
county  lies  farther  west.  It  was  more  remote,  not  less  so, 
from  the  temptation  to  go  back  along  the  Wilderness  Road 
through  Cumberland  Gap  to  assist  young  women  in  the  East 
ern  States.  The  farther  we  go  into  the  records  the  less  likely 
does  it  become  that  Thomas  Lincoln  ever  made  any  such  jour 
ney  as  would  have  been  necessary  for  him  to  participate  in  any 
of  these  adventures. 

At  any  rate,  he  was  in  Washington  County  in  1796  and 
1800  and  1 80 1.  He  was  there  in  one  other  year,  which  can 
not  certainly  be  identified  at  present,  because  the  cover  of  the 
book  is  worn  away  and  the  year  cannot  be  positively  deter 
mined  until  some  other  books  are  found  which  may  identify 
it  by  the  number  of  taxpayers  and  of  negroes  in  the 
county. 

He  was  not  living  there  in  1802  and  1803,  but  was  then 
purchasing  a  farm  of  230  acres  in  Hardin  County,  and  was 
probably  there  continuously  after  that  time. 

He  was  in  Hardin  Counfy  in  June,   1806,  and  went  to 


A  FEW  FIXED  DATES  251 

Washington  County  to  marry  Nancy  Hanks,  which  he  did 
on  June  12,  1806. 

He  was  not  wandering  abroad  in  the  next  few  months, 
but  living  in  Elizabethtown,  where,  on  February  10,  1807,  his 
eldest  child,  Sarah,  was  born. 

We  may  pause  just  a  moment  to  consider  the  baseless 
declaration  that  there  was  no  such  child ;  that  the  Sarah  whom 
Abraham  Lincoln  called  sister  was  his  step-sister,  Sarah,  a 
daughter  of  Sarah  Bush  Lincoln.  There  was  such  a  step 
sister,  but  she  did  not  die  in  Indiana,  as  did  Lincoln's 
sister  Sarah,  but  lived  and  married  Dennis  Hanks,  her  sister 
Matilda  marrying  Squire  Hall.  Furthermore,  William  H. 
Herndon  interviewed  Dennis  Hanks  and  his  family,  and  they 
told  him  much  about  this  sister  Sarah,  who  in  1826  married 
Aaron  Grigsby,  and  died  in  childbirth  while  yet  a  very  young 
woman.  And,  if  it  were  necessary  to  make  the  testimony 
stronger,  we  have  it  in  Abraham  Lincoln's  own  letters,  as  in  one 
written  to  his  friend  Johnson  on  April  18,  1846,  inclosing  some 
verses  which  he  had  written  after  his  visit  to  his  old  home  in 
Indiana : 

"  In  the  fall  of  1844,  thinking  I  might  aid  some  to  carry 
the  State  of  Indiana  for  Mr.  Clay,  I  went  into  the  neighbor 
hood  in  that  State  in  which  I  was  raised,  where  my  mother 
and  only  sister  were  buried,  and  from  which  I  had  been  absent 
about  fifteen  years." 

He  could  not  have  written  thus  of  a  step-sister,  for  Sarah 
Johnston  was  not  his  only  step-sister,  and  she  was  not  buried 
in  Indiana  in  1844,  but  living  in  Illinois  with  her  husband 
Dennis  Hanks. 

Let  us  then  dismiss  all  this  nonsense  about  Thomas  Lin 
coln's  daughter  Sarah  having  been  a  step-daughter.  Sarah 
was  born  to  Thomas  and  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln  on  February 
10,  1807,  and  Thomas  Lincoln  had  little  time  to  roam  abroad. 
He  had  to  work  for  a  living  for  his  wife  and  baby.  That  gives 
us  another  fixed  date. 

We  are  very  fortunate  in  knowing  one  important  piece  of 
work  in  which  he  was  engaged  in  the  latter  part  of  that  year. 

Denton  Geoghegan,  a  prominent  man  in  that  part  of  the 


252    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

county  which  still  is  Hardin,  engaged  Thomas  Lincoln  to  hew 
timbers  for  a  mill.  The  job  was  a  long  one,  and  a  dispute 
arose  concerning  the  settlement  of  it.  Geoghegan  is  a  well- 
known  character  and  was  in  his  day  a  man  of  standing  in 
the  county. 

Denton  Geoghegan  was  in  later  years  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  He  and  his  family  lived  in  that  part  of  Hardin  which  is 
still  Hardin,  and  never  in  that  part  which  is  now  La  Rue.  He 
sued  Thomas  Lincoln  in  1808,  when  Lincoln  was  living  in 
Elizabethtown. 

Mr.  O.  M.  Mather,  of  Hodgenville,  to  whom  I  am  indebted 
for  many  kindnesses,  was  searching  for  me  the  records  of 
Hardin  County,  when  he  discovered  the  record  of  this  suit, 
hitherto  unpublished.  The  suit  was  not  finished  until  March, 
1809,  when  Thomas  Lincoln  had  removed  to  that  part  of  the 
county  which  is  now  La  Rue,  and  had  become  the  father  of 
Abraham.  In  the  months  preceding  the  birth  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  Thomas  Lincoln  was  not  moving  around  the  country 
assisting  young  women  in  distress.  He  was  attending  to  busi 
ness  at  home,  a  part  of  which  was  defending  himself  in  this 
law-suit.  Mr.  Mather  was  unable  to  find  the  whole  record, 
but  the  remainder  of  it  was  discovered  for  me  by  Mr.  George 
Holbert  of  Elizabethtown,  Kentucky. 

Thomas  Lincoln  was  not  wandering  about  the  country  in 
the  latter  part  of  1807  and  the  early  part  of  1808;  he  was 
hewing  timbers  for  Geoghegan's  mill,  and  assisting  in  the 
erection  of  that  structure.  It  was  no  small  task.  It  involved 
the  manufacture  of  a  great  overshot  wheel;  the  construction  of 
a  wooden  aqueduct  raised  to  the  level  of  the  top  of  the  wheel 
and  carried  back  sufficiently  far  to  meet  the  water  at  its  higher 
level.  It  occupied  several  months.  The  dispute  lasted  no  one 
knows  how  long  before  it  came  into  court,  but  we  know,  what 
no  previous  volume  about  Lincoln  has  known,  the  fact  and 
the  date  and  character  of  this  suit. 

This  suit  of  Geoghegan  vs.  Lincoln  was  filed  June  i,  1808. 
The  petition  alleged  that  Denton  Geoghegan,  the  plaintiff,  had 
employed  Thomas  Lincoln,  the  defendant,  to  hew  certain 
timbers  for  a  saw-mill,  and  to  do  the  work  "  in  good  workman- 


A  FEW  FIXED  DATES  253 

like  manner  "  at  il/2  penny  per  square  foot;  that  the  work 
was  not  done  in  workmanlike  manner,  the  timbers  not  being  of 
such  workmanship  as  to  answer  the  purpose;  that  they  were 
not  square  and  not  true  and  some  were  too  short;  that  Geog- 
hegan  had  paid  Lincoln  $10  more  than  the  work  actually 
came  to  at  the  agreed  price ;  and  by  the  alleged  bad  workman 
ship  had  been  damaged  in  the  sum  of  $100.00. 

Mr.  Holbert  writes,  "  From  the  judgment  in  this  case  it 
would  appear  that  Lincoln  was  vindicated.  Geoghegan  was 
my  wife's  great-grandfather,  and  I  am  interested  in  the  case." 

Thomas  Lincoln's  contract  with  Geoghegan  was  the  last 
important  piece  of  work  he  did  before  removal  from  Eliza- 
bethtown,  and  fixes  the  approximate  date  of  the  removal.  In 
the  spring  of  1808  he  was  working  for  Geoghegan  near  Eliza- 
bethtown;  in  the  summer  he  was  working  for  Brownfield  near 
Hodgen's  Mill.  It  is  not  necessary  to  suppose  that  he  did  not 
move  until  after  the  suit  was  brought;  I  am  inclined  to  believe 
that  he  moved  in  May. 

The  suit  continued  for  several  months,  and  in  the  end 
Thomas  Lincoln  won  it,  and  recovered  the  costs  of  his  defense. 
The  significance  of  this  lawsuit  for  us  is  in  the  dates  which  it 
fixes,  and  which  never  before  have  been  published. 

Just  as  I  was  reading  the  first  proofs  of  this  book,  Mr. 
Holbert,  on  July  27,  1920,  discovered  another  record  in  the 
judgments,  not  of  the  Circuit,  but  of  the  County  Court,  of 
Hardin  County.  It  is  of  a  judgment  rendered  May  9,  1808. 
It  shows  that  Thomas  Lincoln,  at  some  earlier  date  not 
recorded,  had  sued  Denton  Geoghegan  in  a  magistrate's  court, 
for  the  unpaid  balance  due  him  on  account  of  his  work  upon 
the  mill  aforementioned,  and  had  recovered  judgment  against 
him  in  the  sum  of  four  pounds  and  nine  shillings.  Geoghegan 
took  an  appeal  to  the  County  Court,  which  at  its  next  monthly 
sitting  rendered  the  following  judgment,  recorded  in  Order 
Book  C,  page  230,  Hardin  County  Court: 

"  At  a  court  begun  and  held  for  Hardin  County  at  the 
Courthouse  in  Elizabeth  Town  on  Monday,  the  9th  day  of 
May,  1808:  Present  Adin  Coombs  and  Dudley  Rountree, 
Esquires : 


254    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

"  Denton  Geoghegan  against  Thomas  Lincoln  on  an  appeal 
from  a  Magistrate's  judgment.  The  Court  being  fully  ad 
vised  of  and  concerning  the  premises,  do  consider  and  order 
that  the  said  appeal  be  dismissed,  and  the  Magistrate's  judg 
ment  be  and  hereby  is  confirmed;  and  that  the  defendant  re 
cover  against  the  said  plaintiff  the  sum  of  four  pounds  and 
nine  shillings  &  4/6  costs  and  also  the  costs  of  this  appeal." 

Twice  beaten,  Geoghegan  came  back  at  Lincoln  in  the 
Circuit  Court  with  a  complaint  that  the  work  had  not  been 
properly  done  and  that  Lincoln  had  been  overpaid.  This  suit, 
as  we  have  seen,  continued  until  the  following  March,  when 
Lincoln  again,  and  for  the  third  and  last  time,  was  successful. 

The  following  court  order  is  in  Record  Book  C,  Hardin 
Circuit  Court  Records,  under  date  of  March  17,  1809: 
"  Denton  Geoghegan,  Plaintiff, 

against 
Thomas  Lincoln,  Defendant. 

"  This  case  being  agreed  and  settled  by  and  between  the 
parties  herein,  it  is  therefore  considered  by  the  Court  that  it 
be  and  the  same  is  hereby  Dismissed,  and  that  the  Defendant 
recover  against  the  Plaintiff  his  cost  by  him  about  his  defense 
expended." 

These  tax  and  court  records  are  of  great  interest  and  im 
portance.  Fragmentary  as  they  are,  they  do  not  permit  of 
the  wandering  of  Thomas  Lincoln  to  fill  the  role  assigned  to 
him  in  any  of  the  stories  that  are  told  to  the  discredit  of  his 
wife.  The  carefully  arranged  scheme  of  dates  which  Mr. 
Knotts  has  presented  to  us,  the  only  one  worth  a  moment's 
attention  so  far  as  chronology  is  concerned,  falls  utterly  before 
this  list  of  certain  records  concerning  Thomas  Lincoln. 

From  the  time  he  was  sixteen  until  he  was  twenty-five  we 
find  him  in  public  records,  and  where  there  are  gaps,  we  are 
able  to  fill  them  with  reasonable  probability. 

From  the  time  of  his  marriage  until  the  birth  of  his  daugh 
ter,  and  from  then  until  the  birth  of  his  son,  he  is  well  ac 
counted  for.  The  suit  of  Denton  Geoghegan,  and  the  con 
tract  out  of  which  it  grew,  cover  the  period  from  the  autumn 
of  1807  until  after  the  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln  on  February 


A  FEW  FIXED  DATES  255 

12,  1809.  Thomas  Lincoln  left  Nancy  with  the  baby  in  her 
arms,  and  went  to  Elizabethtown  to  court  on  March  17,  1809. 
He  returned  that  evening  with  the  good  news  that  the  suit  was 
settled  out  of  court,  and  that  the  court  in  entering  the  record 
adjudged  that  the  man  who  had  prosecuted  him  should  not 
only  pay  the  costs  of  the  suit,  but  make  payment  also  to 
Thomas  Lincoln  for  the  damage  he  had  suffered  in  defending 
the  suit.  So  he  came  home  that  night  either  with  money  in 
his  pocket,  or  with  something  which  he  had  purchased  with 
money  at  Helm's  store  for  Nancy  and  the  baby  and  little 
Sarah. 

Researches  made  for  this  volume  give  us  another  fixed 
date,  September  2,  1803.  On  that  date  John  Tom  Slater,  or 
as  it  is  recorded  in  another  place,  Stator,  conveyed  to  Thomas 
Lincoln  "  of  Hardin  County "  238  acres  of  land  on  Mill 
Creek.  This  locates  Thomas  Lincoln  in  the  period  in  which 
his  name  disappears  from  the  Washington  County  tax  lists. 
He  had  left  Washington  County  to  work  for  his  uncle  Isaac 
Lincoln  on  Watauga  River  in  the  hill  country  of  Tennessee; 
had  returned  to  Kentucky  and  taken  up  his  residence  in  Hardin 
County.  The  deed  definitely  states  Hardin  County  as  his 
residence.  Hardin  County  tax  lists  for  the  period  have  not 
been  discovered  at  this  writing;  but  no  entry  is  found  con 
cerning  him  in  any  other  county  until  June  12,  1806,  when  he 
was  married  to  Nancy  Hanks  in  Washington  County,  and 
returned  to  Hardin  County  to  live. 

The  period  between  his  marriage  and  his  removal  to  that 
part  of  Hardin  County  which  is  now  La  Rue  is  fairly  well 
covered  by  his  large  contract  to  furnish  timbers  for  Geog- 
hegan's  mill,  and  by  the  resulting  lawsuit. 

These  dates  appear  to  indicate  that  after  his  return  from 
Tennessee,  Thomas  Lincoln  lived  in  Washington  County  for 
two  or  three  years,  paying  taxes  there  in  1800  and  1801 ;  that 
he  then  removed  to  Hardin  County,  where  he  purchased  a 
farm  in  1803,  the  deed  mentioning  Hardin  County  as  his  place 
of  residence;  that  he  remained  upon  this  farm  on  Mill  Creek 
in  Hardin  County  until  perhaps  1805,  when  he  gave  up  farm 
ing  and  moved  to  Elizabethtown,  working  as  an  apprentice 


256    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

in  the  shop  of  Joseph  Hanks,  where  he  met  and  wooed  Nancy; 
that  he  was  married  to  Nancy  Hanks  on  June  12,  1806,  and  im 
mediately  set  up  his  home  in  Elizabethtown ;  that  he  thence 
forth  worked  for  himself  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  having  at 
least  one  contract  of  importance,  which  occupied  a  considerable 
part  of  the  year  1807;  that  this  contract  resulted  in  a  law 
suit  which  began  in  a  magistrate's  court,  presumably  in  April, 
1808,  where  he  won  his  case,  and  again  on  appeal  in  the 
County  Court,  Monday,  May  9,  1808,  where  he  was  again 
successful,  and  still  again  in  the  Circuit  Court,  beginning  June 
i,  1808,  and  continuing  until  March  17,  1809. 

This  record  covers  all  the  years  in  which  Thomas  Lincoln 
might  have  been  wandering  in  other  States  in  adventures  such 
as  the  stories  we  have  been  considering  imply,  and  they  are 
remarkably  interesting  in  all  their  implications,  wholly  credit 
able  to  him,  and  in  themselves  a  sufficient  alibi  against  the 
charges  that  locate  him  in  any  other  State  or  in  any  other  por 
tion  of  the  State  of  Kentucky  in  any  of  the  years  between 
1800  and  1809. 

And  that  is  all  we  have  to  say  about  the  whereabouts  of 
Thomas  Lincoln  in  the  period  concerning  which  he  has  been 
falsely  accused. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 
WHAT  WE  KNOW  ABOUT  THOMAS  LINCOLN 

THE  first  Atnerican  ancestor  of  Abraham  Lincoln  was  Samuel 
Lincoln,  who  came  to  Salem,  Mass.,  in  1637,  and  died  at 
Hingham,  May  26,  1690,  aged  71.  He  was  a  son  of  Edward 
Lincoln  of  Hingham,  Norfolk  County,  England,  and  had  an 
honorable  lineage  which  has  been  traced  for  several  genera 
tions.  Samuel  married  in  America,  before  1650,  Martha, 
whose  surname  is  unknown,  and  who  died  April  10,  1693. 

The  fourth  son  of  Samuel  and  Martha  Lincoln  was  Mor- 
decai,  who  was  born  at  Hingham,  Mass.,  June  14,  1657  and  re 
moved  to  Scituate.  He  was  an  iron  founder.  He  died  Novem 
ber  8,  1727,  aged  70.  He  married  Sarah  Jones,  daughter  of 
Abraham  Jones  of  Hull,  through  whom  the  name  Abraham 
may  have  come  into  the  Lincoln  family.  She  died  before 
1708. 

The  eldest  child  of  Mordecai  and  Sarah  was  Mordecai 
Lincoln,  who  was  born  April  24,  1686,  removed  before  1710 
to  Monmouth  County,  New  Jersey,  where  he  followed  his 
father's  vocation  of  iron  founder.  He  died  May  12,  1736. 
He  married  before  1711,  Hannah,  daughter  of  Richard  and 
Sarah  Salter  of  Freehold,  N.  J.  She  died  about  1720. 

The  eldest  child  of  Mordecai  and  Sarah  was  John  Lin 
coln,  born  May  3,  1711.  He  was  a  weaver,  and  lived  in  Caer 
narvon,  Uniontown  and  other  places  in  Pennsylvania;  removed 
to  Virginia  about  1768,  and  died  probably  about  1790.  He 
married  Rebecca,  whose  surname  is  believed  to  have  been 
Moore. 

The  third  son  of  John  and  Rebecca  was  Abraham  Lincoln, 
grandfather  of  the  President,  who  was  born  July  16,  1739. 
He  was  Captain  of  Virginia  Militia  in  1776;  removed  to  Ken 
tucky  in  1781-2,  and  was  killed  by  Indians  about  1785.  His 
first  wife  was  Mary  Shipley,  daughter  of  Robert  Shipley  of 

257 


258     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Lunenburg  County,  Virginia,  who  bore  him  two  sons  and  two 
daughters  and  died  before  1779. 

The  children  of  Abraham  and  Mary  (Shipley)  Lincoln 
were: 

(1)  Mordecai  Lincoln,  born  1764;  Sheriff  of  Washington 
County,  Kentucky;  removed  to  Illinois,  and  died  in  1830.    His 
three  sons  were  Abraham,  James  and  Mordecai. 

(2)  Josiah  Lincoln,  born  July  10,  1766;  removed  to  In 
diana  and  died  in  1836,  leaving  one  son,  Thomas  Lincoln  of 
Corydon,  Indiana. 

(3)  Mary  Lincoln,  married  Ralph  Krume  or  Crume  of 
Kentucky. 

(4)  Nancy  Lincoln,  married  William  Brumfield  of  Ken 
tucky. 

The  second  wife  of  Abraham  Lincoln  was  Bathsheba  Her 
ring,  daughter  of  Leonard  Herring,  of  Heronford,  Rocking- 
ham  County,  Virginia. 

The  only  child  of  Abraham  and  Bathsheba  Lincoln  was 
Thomas  Lincoln,  father  of  the  President. 

In  this  volume  I  have  followed  the  data  given  by  Lea  and 
Hutchinson  as  to  the  date  of  the  birth  of  Thomas  Lincoln. 
That  book  is  so  imposing  in  its  appearance  and  in  many  re 
spects  so  valuable  that  I  adopted  it  in  the  beginning,  and  have 
here  and  there  departed  from  it  with  reluctance.  But  the  date 
given  on  the  tombstone  of  Thomas  Lincoln  at  Farmington, 
Coles  County,  Illinois, — "  Thomas  Lincoln,  Born  January  6, 
1778;  died  January  15,  1851,"  is  in  several  respects  the  more 
probably  correct.  The  date  of  his  birth  was  given  by  Lea 
and  Hutchinson  as  January  20,  1780.  The  place  of  his  birth 
was  Rockingham  County,  Virginia.  He  was  little  more  than 
an  infant  when  his  parents,  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  Bathsheba, 
his  second  wife  and  the  mother  of  Thomas,  removed  to 
Kentucky.  Abraham,  father  of  Thomas,  and  grandfather 
of  the  President,  was  killed  by  Indians  when  Thomas  was  a 
child  of  five. 

Thomas  Lincoln  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight,  at 
Beechland,  Washington  County,  Kentucky,  Nancy  Hanks, 


THOMAS  LINCOLN  259 

June  12,  1806.    They  had  three  children,  all  born  in  Hardin 
County,  Kentucky,  as  follows : 

(1)  Sarah  Lincoln,  often  incorrectly  called  Nancy,  born 
February  10,   1807,  married,  August,  1826,  Aaron  Grigsby, 
and  died  in  childbed,  May  20,  1828. 

(2)  Abraham    Lincoln,   born    February    12,    1809,    six 
teenth  President  of  the 'United  States,  died  April  15,  1865, 
He  married,  November  4,  1862,  Mary  Todd,  by  whom  he  had 
four  sons. 

(3)  Thomas  Lincoln,  born  in  1811,  and  died  in  infancy 
before  the  family  left  Kentucky. 

Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln,  mother  of  the  President,  died  in 
Indiana,  October  5,  1818.  Her  husband  married  as  his  second 
wife,  Sarah  Bush  Johnston.  She  had  three  children  by  her 
first  husband,  John  D.  Johnston;  Sarah,  who  married  Dennis 
Hanks;  and  Matilda,  who  married  Squire  Hall. 

Thomas  Lincoln  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  youth  in 
Washington  County,  Kentucky.  One  year  of  his  late  boyhood 
was  spent  with  his  uncle  Isaac  Lincoln  on  the  Watauga 
River  in  East  Tennessee.  He  was  then  a  day  laborer  on  other 
people's  farms,  and  became  a  carpenter  of  no  great  skill. 

In  1803  he  purchased  an  improved  farm  with  buildings 
on  Mill  Creek  in  Hardin  County,  paying  for  the  same  in 
cash,  and  presumably  worked  his  own  farm  until  an  unknown 
date  which  may  have  been  1805. 

After  his  marriage  on  June  12,  1806,  he  settled  in  Eliza- 
bethtown,  county  seat  of  Hardin  County,  Kentucky,  where  he 
resided  about  two  years,  and  where  his  first  child,  a  daughter, 
Sarah,  was  born  February  10,  1807. 

He  then  removed,  probably  in  May  or  early  June,  1806, 
to  that  part  of  Hardin  County  which  is  now  La  Rue,  living 
for  the  first  few  months  on  the  farm  of  George  Brownfield, 
whence,  in  the  following  autumn,  he  removed  to  the  farm 
which  he  occupied  as  his  own,  though  without  recorded  title, 
and  which  is  known  as  the  Lincoln  Farm.  It  is  located  on 
Nolin  Creek,  two  and  one  half  miles  south  from  the  present 
site  of  Hodgenville,  and  about  as  far  in  the  other  direction 


260     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

from  a  settlement  called  Buffalo.  Here  his  son  Abraham 
was  born. 

A  few  years  later  he  lived  upon  the  Knob  Creek  Farm, 
about  fifteen  miles  distant,  and  across  Muldraugh's  Hill,  and, 
though  living  in  the  same  county,  he  was  in  quite  another 
neighborhood. 

There  is  some  reason  to  believe  that  between  his  residence 
on  the  Lincoln  Farm  and  that  on  the  Knob  Creek  Farm 
he  spent  at  least  one  year  among  his  wife's  relations  in  Wash 
ington  County,  the  chief  documentary  evidence  of  this  being  a 
tax  book  in  Washington  County  bearing  his  name,  and  ap 
parently  of  the  year  1811.  This  year,  however,  is  not  quite 
certain. 

I  had  earnestly  hoped  that  the  uncertainty  concerning  the 
date  of  this  book  would  have  been  cleared  up  by  the  time 
the  present  volume  went  to  press.  The  early  tax  records  of 
Washington  County  were  prepared  by  the  clerk  upon  sheets  of 
paper  15%  inches  long  and  i2l/2  inches  wide,  written  on  both 
sides  and  afterwards  bound  together  by  stitching  at  the  end. 
The  cover  was  a  sheet  of  the  same  kind  of  paper,  with  the 
date  and  clerk's  certificate  on  the  outside.  In  the  case  of  the 
book  whose  date  is  uncertain,  the  cover  is  worn  away,  but 
a  cover  accompanies  it,  and  is  supposed  to  belong  to  it,  giving 
the  year  1811,  which  I  still  incline  to  think  is  the  year.  Un 
fortunately,  that  is  the  only  place  in  the  book  where  the  year 
appears.  The  dates  in  the  book  are  those  of  the  month  and 
day  on  which  the  assessment  is  made.  The  last  leaf,  also,  is 
missing,  which  would  have  contained  the  total  number  of 
white  male  inhabitants  and  the  number  of  white  males  above 
1 6  and  the  number  of  blacks  above  16.  These  are  totaled 
at  the  foot  of  each  page,  and  are  complete  to  about  the  mid 
dle  of  the  list  of  names  beginning  with  W.  If  the  books 
could  be  found  for  years  showing  a  few  more  or  a  few  less 
of  each  of  these  classes,  it  would  be  easy  to  fix  the  year  to 
which  this  book  belonged.  But  unfortunately,  the  books  for 
these  years  are  not  found.  Mr,  Joseph  Polin,  County  At 
torney,  who  at  first  was  sure  that  this  book  belonged  to  1811, 
now  thinks  he  was  mistaken,  and  that  it  belongs  either  to  1809 


THOMAS  LINCOLN  261 

or  1810.  In  my  judgment  his  previous  opinion  is  the  cor 
rect  one;  and  if  that  is  not  correct,  it  certainly  does  not  belong 
to  the  year  1809,  but  either  to  1810  or  1812.  In  either  case, 
it  confirms  what  on  other  grounds  I  have  come  to  believe,  that 
the  residence  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  in  the  Nolin 
Creek  home,  where  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born,  was  a  very 
brief  one,  and  that  between  that  residence  and  the  one  on  Knob 
Creek,  from  which  in  1816  the  family  of  Thomas  Lincoln 
migrated  to  Indiana,  he  lived  for  a  year  in  Washington 
County,  among  the  relatives  of  his  wife. 

This  is  an  unrecorded  migration  of  the  Lincoln  family, 
and  one  concerning  which  no  assistance  is  to  be  gained  from 
other  books.  Even  so  good  a  book  as  Lea  and  Hutchinson's 
Ancestry  of  Abraham  Lincoln  is  hopelessly  at  sea  on  these 
migrations.  Its  chapter  on  "  Thomas  Lincoln  the  Man,"  con 
tains  many  errors.  Other  and  less  painstaking  works  are 
wholly  unreliable  on  these  and  related  matters. 

Thomas  Lincoln  was  assessed  in  Washington  County, 
May  u,  1796,  as  a  white  male  above  sixteen.  He  was  as 
sessed  as  Thomas  Linchorn,  in  the  same  county,  on  February 
14,  1800,  as  a  white  male  above  twenty-one;  and  he  owned  one 
horse.  He  was  assessed  again  in  the  same  county  on  August 
5,  1 80 1,  and  owned  a  horse.  Between  the  first  assessment 
in  1796  and  the  second  in  1800  occurs,  as  I  have  shown  else 
where,  his  year  or  more  of  residence  with  his  uncle,  Isaac 
Lincoln,  in  East  Tennessee;  for  the  list  for  1797  is  found 
and  his  name  is  not  in  it.  Also  the  lists  for  1802  and  1803 
are  found,  and  his  name  is  not  in  them ;  but  that  was  the  time 
he  was  acquiring  his  Mill  Creek  farm,  in  Hardin  County,  where 
he  continued  to  live  until  some  year,  which  I  still  think  to 
have  been  1811,  when  he  returned  and  lived  for  a  year  in 
Washington  County;  whence  he  went  back  part  way,  but 
stopped  east  of  Muldraugh's  Hill,  and  lived  for  a  few  years  on 
the  Knob  Creek  farm.  This  was  the  first  home  Abraham 
remembered,  and  the  place  where  he  first  went  to  school. 

The  cover  of  the  tax  book  for  1811  gave  a  total  of  1,827 
white  males  above  21,  and  974  negroes  above  the  age  of  16. 
The  list  of  white  males  down  to  the  middle  of  the  initial 


262     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

letter  W  seemed  to  me  to  give  totals  both  of  whites  and 
negroes  just  about  in  proper  proportion  to  have  made  up  those 
totals  if  the  lists  had  been  complete.  Mr.  Polin,  however,  is  of 
opinion  that  they  would  not  reach  quite  to  the  necessary  ag 
gregates,  and  thus  he  is  inclined  to  think  that  the  date  may 
have  been  one  or  possibly  two  years  earlier.  Possibly  he  is 
correct  and  the  date  should  be  1810;  but  the  cover  appears  to 
me  to  belong  with  the  book.  It  certainly  is  not  of  1809;  and 
if  it  be  1810,  it  only  proves  that  the  migration  of  Thomas  and 
Nancy  from  the  birthplace  of  Abraham  occurred  a  few  months 
earlier  than  I  have  supposed. 

While  Thomas  Lincoln  was  living  on  the  Knob  Creek 
farm  he  attained  his  one  political  appointment.  The  records 
for  Hardin  County  contain  this  entry: 

"  Monday,  i8th  May,  1816. 

"  Ordered  that  Thomas  Lincoln  be  and  he  is  hereby  ap 
pointed  Surveyor  of  that  part  of  the  road  leading  from  Nolin 
to  Bardstown  which  lies  between  the  Bigg  Hill  and  the  rolling 
fork,  in  place  of  George  Rodman  and  that  all  the  hands  that 
assisted  Rodman  do  assist  said  Lincoln  in  keeping  said  road 
in  repair." 

I  have  ridden  over  this  road,  all  the  way  from  the  Bigg 
Hill  to  Rolling  Fork,  and  my  sympathies  are  with  Thomas 
Lincoln.  Muldraugh's  Hill  is  a  Bigg  Hill  with  at  least  two 
g's  in  Bigg;  and  the  wash  of  the  spring  rains  is  heavy.  This 
was  afterward  a  section  of  the  Louisville  and  Nashville 
turnpike,  and  has  always  been  an  important  strip  of  road. 
The  emoluments  of  Thomas  Lincoln's  one  office  cannot  have 
been  large;  but  the  work  of  keeping  that  road  in  any  kind  of 
repair  was  no  sinecure. 

In  the  brief  sketch  of  his  own  life  prepared  in  1860  by 
Abraham  Lincoln  he  intimates  that  some  trouble  concerning 
a  land  title  had  a  shade  in  the  reasons  for  his  father's  leaving 
Kentucky  in  1816,  and  establishing  his  home  in  Indiana.  An 
intimation  of  the  nature  of  this  trouble  would  appear  to  be 
furnished  in  the  record  of  a  suit  for  whose  discovery  I  am 
indebted  to  Mr.  George  Holbert,  attorney,  of  Elizabethtown, 
Kentucky. 


THOMAS  LINCOLN  263 

This  was  a  suit  in  ejectment,  instituted  on  January  i,  1815, 
in  the  Hardin  Circuit  Court,  by  "  John  Doe  on  demise  of  Han 
nah  Rhoades,  Thomas  Stout  and  Abraham  Sheridan,  plaintiffs, 
vs  Richard  Roe,  defendant."  The  old  English  form  of  bring 
ing  suit  in  the  name  of  John  Doe  against  Richard  Roe  was 
extensively  used  in  Kentucky  courts  in  the  early  days,  espe 
cially  in  ejectment  suits.  During  the  progress  of  the  suits  all 
persons  in  possession  of  portions  of  the  premises  were  ascer 
tained,  and  their  names  substituted  as  defendants.  However, 
in  this  case  Thomas  Lincoln  did  not  wait  to  be  substituted,  but 
on  June  13,  1816,  on  Thomas  Lincoln's  own  motion  by  at 
torney,  his  name  was  substituted  as  defendant.  One  George 
Lindsey  also  had  his  name  substituted.  This  suit  was  over 
the  Knob  Creek  farm.  Evidently  Thomas  Lincoln  believed  that 
he  was  right,  and  was  ready  to  have  the  court  determine  the 
matter. 

Had  the  case  come  promptly  to  trial,  it  is  possible  that 
Thomas  Lincoln  would  not  have  removed  from  Kentucky,  in 
which  event  a  large  volume  of  history  would  have  been  written 
otherwise  than  as  it  subsequently  occurred.  The  trial  was, 
however,  postponed  for  two  years  and  occurred  on  June  9, 
1818.  The  trial  was  before  a  jury  whose  verdict  is  of  record. 
The  jury  "  sworn  the  truth  to  speak  upon  the  issue  joined,  upon 
their  oaths  do  say  that  the  defendants  are  not  guilty  of  the 
trespass,  ejectment  and  detention  of  the  premises  in  the  declara 
tion  mentioned."  Judgment  follows  "  that  the  defendants  re 
cover  of  the  plaintiff  their  costs."  The  records  of  this  suit  are 
found  in  Civil  Order  Books  E  and  F,  Hardin  Circuit  Court. 

This  suit  for  ejectment  shows  that  the  Knob  Creek  farm 
was  part  of  a  tract  of  ten  thousand  acres  surveyed  in  1784,  and 
patented  in  1786  by  Thomas  Middleton,  father  of  the  Hannah 
Rhoades  who  was  one  of  the  parties  to  the  suit.  She  lived  in 
Philadelphia,  as  did  Abraham  Sheridan,  Inn  Keeper,  another 
plaintiff. 

The  jury  found  for  the  defendants;  and  the  order  of  the 
Court  was  "  that  the  plaintiff  take  nothing  for  his  bill,  but 
for  his  false  claimour  be  in  mercy,  &c.,  and  that  the  defendants 
go  hence  without  a  day,  and  recover  against  the  lessors  of  the 


264     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

plaintiff  their  costs  by  them  about  their  defense  herein  ex 
pended,  and  may  have  executors,  etc." 

In  this,  as  in  his  earlier  lawsuit,  Thomas  Lincoln  was 
victorious. 

In  1816  Thomas  Lincoln  and  his  family  migrated  to  In 
diana,  where  his  wife,  Nancy  Hanks,  died,  October  5,  1818. 
A  year  later  he  returned  to  Hardin  County,  Kentucky,  and 
married  Sarah  Bush  Johnston,  who  proved  an  excellent  wife 
and  a  remarkably  good  step-mother  to  his  children.  She  had 
previously  married,  March  13,  1806,  Daniel  Johnston,  who 
died  April,  1814.  She  died  April  10,  1869. 

A  further  record  of  Thomas  Lincoln  is  found  in  Hardin 
County,  Kentucky,  in  the  marriage  register,  Book  A,  folio  96. 
There  his  marriage  is  entered  in  due  form  to  Sarah  Johnson. 
This  is  the  spelling  of  her  name  as  it  is  found  in  the  Kentucky 
records,  but  her  son  John  D.  signed  his  name  Johnston,  and 
was  so  addressed  by  his  step-brother  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Sarah  Johnson,  or  Johnston,  was  a  Miss  Bush,  and  came 
of  an  excellent  family.  She  was  a  great-aunt  of  W.  P.  D. 
Bush,  reporter  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  of  Kentucky  from 
1866  to  1879.  There  are  fourteen  volumes  of  the  Kentucky 
reports  edited  by  him,  and  familiarly  known  to  Kentucky 
lawyers  as  the  Bush  Reports.  Another  great-nephew,  F.  H. 
Bush,  still  lives  in  Elizabethtown,  an  honored  and  venerable 
member  of  the  local  bar,  and  an  old  Confederate  soldier.  By 
her  first  marriage  Sarah  Bush  was  united  to  Daniel  Johnson, 
jailer  of  Hardin  County.  The  marriage  occurred  March  13, 
1806,  three  months  before  Thomas  Lincoln's  marriage  to 
Nancy  Hanks.  The  marriage  is  recorded  in  Marriage  Register 
A,  folio  23.  An  undisputed  tradition  and  one  entirely  credible, 
is  that  Thomas  Lincoln  made  love  to  Sarah  Bush  before  he  sued 
for  the  hand  of  Nancy  Hanks.  It  is  wholly  creditable  to 
Thomas  Lincoln  that  he  returned  for  his  second  wife  to  where 
he  was  so  well  known  as  at  Elizabethtown.  His  suit  is  said  to 
have  been  favored  by  Sarah's  male  relatives  who  had  accom 
panied  Thomas  Lincoln  on  a  voyage  down  the  river  to  New 
Orleans.  Thomas  Lincoln's  marriage  to  Sarah  Bush  Johnson, 
or  Johnston,  occurred,  December  2,  1819. 


THOMAS  LINCOLN  265 

In  March,  1830,  Thomas  Lincoln  and  his  family,  accom 
panied  by  John  D.  Johnston  and  his  two  sisters  and  their  hus 
bands,  Dennis  Hanks  and  Squire  Hall,  migrated  to  Macon 
County,  Illinois,  and  settled  on  land  near  to  that  owned  by 
John  Hanks.  Later,  and  after  one  or  two  experiments  in 
location,  he  removed  to  Goosenest  Prairie,  near  Farmington, 
Illinois,  where  he  died,  January  17,  1851. 

Thomas  Lincoln  was  about  five  feet  nine  or  ten  inches 
tall,  and  weighed  about  a  hundred  and  eighty  to  a  hundred 
and  ninety-five  pounds.  He  had  a  well-rounded  face,  dark 
hazel  eyes,  coarse  black  hair,  and  was  somewhat  round- 
shouldered.  He  was  compactly  built,  so  that  Dennis  Hanks 
said  that  he  had  never  been  able  to  find  the  point  of  separation 
between  his  ribs,  though  he  often  felt  for  it.  He  was  slow 
of  movement,  slow  of  thought.  Herndon  describes  him  as 
careless,  inert  and  dull.  He  was  sinewy  and  of  great  strength. 
He  was  disinclined  to  constant  hard  labor,  but  was  capable 
of  performing  it  when  he  chose.  He  was  inoffensive,  quiet 
and  peaceable,  but  capable  of  strong  anger  and  of  fierce  fight 
ing.  He  was  fond  of  jokes  and  stories,  as  was  his  illustrious 
son.  While  not  a  total  abstainer,  he  was  temperate  in  his  use 
of  liquor.  He  was  neither  a  drunkard  nor  a  gambler,  nor  is 
he  known  to  have  possessed  any  vicious  habit.  He  was  natu 
rally  indolent,  and  was  lacking  in  ambition.  He  did  not  care 
for  great  physical  comfort,  and  preferred  to  get  on  with  few 
conveniences  rather  than  exert  himself  unduly  to  obtain  things 
which  he  did  not  greatly  need.  When  John  Hanks  said  of 
him  that  "  pleasure  was  the  end  of  life  for  him,"  he  did  not 
mean  that  Thomas  Lincoln  had  any  inclination  toward  sen 
suality,  but  that  with  sufficient  hoe-cake  and  bacon  he  was 
reasonably  content. 

Thomas  Lincoln  was  a  religious  man.  In  another  book  * 
I  have  shown  the  error  of  Herndon  in  his  declaration  that 
Thomas  Lincoln  was  a  Free  Baptist  in  Kentucky,  a  Presby 
terian  in  Indiana  and  a  Disciple  in  Illinois.  He  was  a  Baptist, 
and  not  a  Free  Baptist,  in  Kentucky,  Indiana  and  Illinois. 
Near  the  end  of  his  life  he  became  a  New  Light.  But  that  was, 

1  The  Soul  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  by  William  E.  Barton,  pp.  36-45. 


266    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

from  his  point  of  view,  no  great  change.  He  joined  the  Little 
Pigeon  Baptist  Church  in  1823,  and  was  a  consistent  member 
of  it. 

In  the  tax  lists  of  Washington  County,  Thomas  Lincoln 
first  appears  on  May  n,  1796,  as  a  white  male  above  sixteen. 
His  name  is  not  in  the  list  for  1797,  in  which  year  he  was 
probably  in  East  Tennessee.  He  appears  in  the  list  of  1800, 
the  date  when  listed  being  February  14.  His  name  in  this  one 
list  is  spelled  "  Thomas  Lincorn,"  but  in  the  others  it  is  Lin 
coln.  He  owned  one  horse,  and  no  other  taxable  property. 
Again  he  appears,  and  with  his  name  correctly  spelled, 
in  1800  and  1801,  and  was  listed  on  August  5.  He  still  owned 
one  horse. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  in  only  one  of  these  lists 
is  his  name  spelled  other  than  "  Lincoln."  The  report  that 
the  name  was  uniformly  known  as  Linkhorn,  and  that  Abra 
ham  Lincoln  changed  it,  is  incorrect.  Thomas  was  called  Lin 
coln  when  a  lad,  he  was  married  as  Lincoln,  and  he  signed  his 
name,  as  early  as  1806,  the  date  of  the  first  known  signature 
and  uniformly  thereafter,  as  Lincoln. 

It  cannot  fail  to  surprise  us  when  we  learn  that  Thomas 
Lincoln  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  had  ready  cash  to  the 
amount  of  118  pounds  with  which  to  purchase  a  farm,  which 
appears  to  have  been  improved,  but  that  thereafter  he  lived 
upon  farms  in  Kentucky  to  which  he  had  no  recorded  title, 
and  that  whatever  land  he  occupied  in  other  states  in  sub 
sequent  years  he  held  precariously  and  lost  it  by  abandonment, 
mortgage  or  other  such  misfortune  as  came  commonly  to 
the  shiftless  and  improvident.  It  cannot  fail  to  suggest  the 
question  where  he  obtained  the  money  for  these  initial  pur 
chases  before  his  marriage. 

I  am  not  able  to  answer  this  question.  The  hypothesis 
which  I  suggest  is,  that,  on  his  return  from  East  Tennessee, 
when  he  was  twenty-one  or  twenty-two,  he  secured  a  settle 
ment  of  his  father's  estate  which  his  eldest  brother,  Mordecai, 
had  held  in  trust  until  Thomas  should  reach  his  majority,  and 
that  Thomas  took  his  share  of  the  estate  in  cash. 

I  have  read  in  several  books  how  his  hard-hearted  eldest 


THOMAS  LINCOLN  267 

brother,  Mordecai,  taking  full  advantage  of  his  legal  rights 
under  the  old  English  law  of  primogeniture,  defrauded  this  lit 
tle  lad  out  of  his  honest  share  in  his  father's  estate,  and  how 
Thomas,  by  sheer  force  of  character  and  resolute  industry, 
earned  money  with  which  to  buy  the  farm  which  he  owned  at 
twenty-three.  That  pretty  tale  may  be  true,  but  I  doubt  it.  A 
man  so  industrious  at  twenty-three  would  not  have  been  likely 
to  part  with  so  much  of  his  industry  thereafter,  nor  abandon 
a  farm  which  he  had  earned  by  his  own  toil.  It  is  much 
more  probable  that  he  bought  the  Mill  Creek  farm  when  he 
was  twenty-three,  with  money  paid  him  by  his  older  brothers 
on  the  settlement  of  his  father's  estate,  a  few  months  after 
Thomas  attained  his  majority;  and  that  he  had  more  money 
then  than  he  ever  possessed  at  one  time  afterward  so  long  as 
he  lived. 

John  D.  Johnston  doubtless  lied  in  the  letter  which  he  sent 
to  Abraham  Lincoln  in  the  name  of  Thomas,  when  Abraham 
was  in  Congress,  pleading  for  a  gift  of  twenty  dollars  to 
save  the  Illinois  farm  from  being  sold  under  judgment :  but  he 
would  not  have  told  a  lie  of  that  character  if  he  had  not 
known  that  Abraham  knew  that  only  Abraham's  generosity 
could  be  relied  upon  to  keep  a  roof  over  the  head  of  his  father, 
or  to  prevent  his  incurring  debts  that  would  have  robbed  him 
of  his  home,  except  for  the  timely  and  repeated  assistance  of 
Abraham. 

It  is  affirmed  in  many  books  that  Thomas  Lincoln  and 
Nancy  Hanks  were  first  cousins.  This  statement  is  made  on 
the  assumption  that  Thomas  Lincoln  was  the  son  of  the  first 
wife,  Mary  Shipley,  of  his  father  Abraham  Lincoln.  Thomas 
Lincoln  was  the  son  and  only  child  of  Abraham  Lincoln's 
second  wife,  Bathsheba  Herring.  The  statement  also  assumes 
that  Nancy  Hanks  was  the  daughter  of  Joseph  Hanks  and 
his  wife  Nancy  Shipley.  Mrs.  Richard  Berry,  at  whose  home 
Nancy  Hanks  was  married  to  Thomas  Lincoln,  was  also  a 
Lucy  Shipley. 

Lawyers  in  Hardin  County  assure  me  that  the  name  of 
Thomas  Lincoln  is  found  on  the  records  of  the  several  courts 
in  Hardin  County  as  doing  jury  duty;  but,  as  the  jury  lists 


268    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

are  not  indexed,  such  search  as  they  have  been  able  to  make  for 
me  has  not  yet  yielded  results,  and  I  must  leave  this  to  others 
or  to  my  own  future  investigation.  The  tax-lists  of  Hardin 
County  for  the  years  of  Thomas  Lincoln's  residence  are  lost; 
but  there  is  in  the  Sheriff's  office  a  book  of  Tax  Delinquents 
which  covers  the  years  from  1798  to  1824,  and  the  name  of 
Thomas  Lincoln  is  not  contained  in  it.  Even  if  he  had  owned 
no  property  his  name  would  have  been  there  had  he  not  paid 
taxes;  for  there  are  hundreds  of  names  of  men  delinquent  on 
poll-tax  who  had  no  taxable  property.  But  Thomas  Lincoln 
had  real  estate  in  1803,  and  always,  so  far  as  we  know,  a  horse. 

Thomas  Lincoln's  name,  so  far  as  official  records  go,  is  an 
honorable  one.  He  paid  his  taxes ;  he  had  four  lawsuits  and 
won  them  all.  The  records  contain  nothing,  so  far  as  my  re 
searches  have  shown,  that  is  not  to  his  credit. 

To  the  credit  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  let  it  be  remembered 
that  he  did  not  restrain  Abraham  from  his  securing  of  an 
education.  Sarah  Bush  doubtless  told  Herndon  truthfully  of 
her  part  in  the  process : 

"  I  induced  my  husband  to  permit  Abe  to  read  and  study 
at  home  as  well  as  at  school.  At  first  he  was  not  easily  recon 
ciled  to  it,  but  finally  he  too  seemed  willing  to  encourage  him  to 
a  certain  extent." — Mrs.  Thomas  Lincoln,  September  8,  1865 ; 
in  Herndon,  I,  p.  33. 

But  it  should  be  remembered  that  before  the  migration 
to  Indiana  Abe  had  had  three  brief  terms  of  school  in  Ken 
tucky,  before  Sarah  Bush  appeared  on  the  scene.  For  this, 
doubtless,  we  have  to  thank  Nancy  Hanks,  in  good  part.  But 
Thomas  Lincoln,  who,  after  he  had  reached  manhood,  cared 
enough  for  education  to  learn  "  bunglingly  to  write  his  name," 
must  have  had  some  little  interest  in  his  son's  progress  in  book- 
learning.  It  need  not  be  assumed  that  he  cared  as  much  for 
it  as  either  Nancy  Hanks  or  Sarah  Bush ;  but  it  is  due  him  to 
remember  that  he  did  not  oppose  Abe's  learning  more  than  his 
father  knew. 

The  interior  wall  of  the  Memorial  erected  over  the  Lincoln 
cabin  contains  an  interesting  inscription  in  honor  of  Thomas 
Lincoln.  It  is  incorrect  in  some  of  its  dates;  Thomas  Lincoln 


THOMAS  LINCOLN  269 

was  not  born  in  1770,  and  he  was  twenty-nine  and  not  twenty- 
five  when  he  became  "  possessor  of  this  cabin  home  and  its 
neighboring  acres."  It  is  not  known  that  he  built  any  one  of 
the  houses  which  he  occupied  in  Kentucky.  The  inscription 
reads : 

THOMAS  LINCOLN 

January  20,  1770  January  17,  1851 

Fifth  in  descent  from  Samuel  Lincoln,  weaver,  who  landed  at 
Hingham,  Massachusetts,  May  26,  1637.  Orphaned  at  six 
years  of  age  by  an  Indian  bullet,  he  grew  up  homeless  in  the 
wild  woods  of  Kentucky.  At  twenty-five  he  was  the  possessor 
of  this  cabin  and  its  neighboring  acres.  In  1818  he  moved  to 
Indiana,  then  a  territory.  Five  years  later  he  followed  the  tide 
of  emigration  to  Illinois,  where  he  lived  a  peaceable,  indus 
trious,  respected  citizen,  a  genial,  honest  and  contented  pioneer. 
With  courage  and  energy  he  built  with  his  hands  five  homes, 
each  better  than  the  preceding  one.  He  won  and  held  the 
love  and  confidence  of  two  noble  women,  and  he  was  the  father 
of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

"  My  father  insisted  that  none  of  his  children  should  suffer 
for  the  want  of  education  as  he  had." — Abraham  Lincoln. 

"  He  was  a  good  carpenter  for  the  times.  He  had  the  best 
set  of  tools  in  Washington  County.  The  Lincolns  had  a  cow 
and  a  calf,  milk  and  butter,  a  good  feather  bed,  for  I  have  slept 
on  it.  They  had  a  home-woven  and  single  '  kilerlid  '  big  and 
little  pots,  a  loom  and  wheel.  Tom  Lincoln  was  a  man,  and 
took  care  of  his  wife.  Reverend  Jesse  Head,  the  minister  who 
married  Tom  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks,  talked  boldly  against 
slavery,  and  Tom  and  Nancy  Lincoln  and  Sarah  Bush  were 
just  steeped  full  of  Jesse  Head's  notions  about  the  wrong  of 
slavery  and  the  rights  of  man  as  explained  by  Thomas  Jeffer 
son  and  Thomas  Payne." — Professor  T.  C.  Graham2  of 
Louisville,  Kentucky. 

1  am  sure  that  the  foregoing  was  written  by  Jenkin  Lloyd 
Jones.    Its  language  is  very  similar  to  that  which  he  used  in  his 
address  at  the  Lincoln  Home.    In  that  address  I  find  another 
reference  to  the  five  houses,  or  possibly  six,  which  Thomas  Lin- 

2  Dr.  Graham's  name  was  Christopher  Columbus  Graham,  not  "  T.  C." 


270    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

coin  is  supposed  to  have  built  with  his  own  hands.  In  that 
he  speaks  of  Thomas  Lincoln  as,  "  A  man  who  built,  with  his 
own  hands,  three  homes  as  I  figure  it,  in  Kentucky,  and  one  in 
Indiana  and  perhaps  two  in  Illinois,  each  one  better  than  the 
last."  It  must  not  detract  from  our  high  appreciation  of  the 
excellence  of  this  inscription  if  we  remind  ourselves  that  while 
Thomas  Lincoln  built  for  himself  a  home  in  Indiana,  beside  the 
"  half-faced  "  camp  whch  sheltered  him  and  his  family  during 
their  first  few  months  in  that  state,  we  have  no  reason  to  be 
lieve  that  he  built  any  home  for  himself  in  Kentucky. 

A  distinguished  authority  has  said, — 

"  Abraham  Lincoln  came  of  the  most  unpromising  stock 
on  the  continent,  *  the  poor  white  trash '  of  the  South.  His 
shiftless  father  moved  from  place  to  place  in  the  western 
country,  failing  where  everybody  else  was  successful  in  mak 
ing  a  living;  and  the  boy  had  spent  the  most  susceptible  years 
of  his  life  under  no  discipline  but  that  of  degrading  poverty." — 
WOODROW  WILSON,  Division  and  Reunion,  p.  216. 

There  is  some  truth  in  this,  but  it  is  not  unqualifiedly  true. 
Lincoln's  parents  were  poor  and  they  were  white ;  but  it  does 
not  follow  that  they  were  of  the  "  poor  white  trash."  Thomas 
Lincoln  did,  indeed,  fail  repeatedly,  and  fail  where  other  men 
were  succeeding;  and  none  of  the  apologists  for  him  have  suc 
ceeded  in  proving  him  an  industrious  or  thrifty  man.  But  it 
is  not  certain  that  the  poverty  upon  which  Abraham  Lincoln 
looked  back  with  such  morbid  sorrow  was  really  degrading. 

The  author  of  this  volume  was  born  in  the  North;  but  he 
lived  for  seven  years  among  people  like  the  Lincolns  and 
Hankses  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  and  he  does  not  like  to 
hear  them  called  "  poor  whites  "  or  "  mountain  whites."  He 
has  eaten  and  slept  on  many  a  night  in  a  cabin  of  one  room, 
much  like  the  cabin  in  which  the  Lincolns  lived,  and  both  as 
schoolmaster  and  as  preacher  he  has  shared  the  life  of  the  kin 
of  the  Lincolns  and  the  Hankses.  The  Lincoln  blood  was  good 
blood;  and  the  Hanks  blood  had  in  it  no  vicious  or  criminal 
tendency. 

Nicolay  and  Hay  say  of  Thomas  Lincoln: 


THOMAS  LINCOLN  271 

"  Thomas,  to  whom  were  reserved  the  honors  of  an  illus 
trious  paternity,  learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter.  He  was  an 
easy-going  man,  entirely  without  ambition,  but  not  without 
self-respect.  Though  the  friendliest  and  most  jovial  of  gos 
sips,  he  was  not  insensible  to  affronts:  and  when  his  slow 
anger  was  roused,  he  was  a  formidable  adversary.  Several 
border  bullies,  at  different  times,  crowded  him  indiscreetly, 
and  were  promptly  and  thoroughly  whipped.  He  was  strong, 
well-knit,  and  sinewy;  but  little  over  the  medium  height, 
though  in  other  respects  he  seems  to  have  resembled  his  son 
in  appearance.  .  .  . 

"  Thomas  Lincoln  joined  the  Baptist  Church  of  Little 
Pigeon  in  1823;  his  oldest  child,  Sarah,  followed  his  example 
three  years  later.  They  were  known  as  active  and  consistent 
members  of  that  communion.  Lincoln  was  himself  a  good 
carpenter  when  he  chose  to  work  at  his  trade :  a  walnut  table 
made  by  him  is  still  preserved  as  part  of  the  furniture  of  the 
church  to  which  he  belonged." — NICOLAY  AND  HAY:  Abraham 
Lincoln;  A  History,  I,  pp.  23,  32-33. 

Perhaps  the  best  tribute  we  have  to  the  character  of 
Thomas  Lincoln  is  that  of  the  minister  of  whose  church  he 
was  a  member  in  his  last  years,  and  who  preached  his  funeral 
sermon  on  his  death  in  1851.  Of  him,  in  1887,  RCV-  Thomas 
Goodwin  of  Charleston,  Illinois,  wrote: 

"  In  his  case  I  could  not  say  aught  but  good.  ...  He 
was  a  consistent  member  through  life  of  the  Church  of  my 
choice — the  Christian  Church  or  Church  of  Christ — and  was, 
as  far  as  I  know — and  I  was  a  very  intimate  friend — illiterate, 
yet  always  truthful,  conscientious  and  religious." — Quoted  by 
HON.  JOSEPH  H.  BARRETT,  in  The  New  England  Historical 
and  Genealogical  Register  for  July,  1894;  volume  48,  p.  328. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 
WHAT  WE  KNOW  ABOUT  NANCY  HANKS 

THE  log  cabin  in  which  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  stands 
now  very  near  to  its  original  site.  It  has  been  carted  over  the 
country  to  one  exposition  after  another,  and  shown  to  the 
curious  at  twenty-five  cents  a  head.  While  it  was  away,  its 
supposed  original  site  was  marked  by  a  post,  which  still  is 
visible  in  the  middle  of  the  cabin  floor,  attesting  that  it  stands 
where  it  stood  immediately  before  its  migrations  began. 
Older  persons,  however,  who  remember  the  cabin  before  its 
occupant  became  President,  inform  me  that  it  was  built  lower 
down  and  nearer  the  spring;  and  this  I  think  probable.  But 
it  stands  in  a  very  fit  and  sightly  place,  a  long  line  of  polished 
stone  steps  leading  up  to  it  from  the  level  of  the  spring,  and 
reminding  us  that  the  way  to  such  eminence  involves  a  long 
climb.  Inside  the  marble  temple  that  enshrines  the  log  cabin 
where  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born,  are  tablets  to  his  parents. 
I  copy  that  to  Nancy  Hanks,  which  I  think  must  be  from 
the  facile  pen  of  my  friend,  now  dead,  Jenkin  Lloyd  Jones. 

NANCY  HANKS  LINCOLN 
FEBRUARY  4,  1784— OCTOBER  5,  1818 
Born  in  Virginia.     When  three  years  old,  her  parents, 
Joseph  and  Nancy  (Shipley)  Hanks,  crossed  the  mountains 
into  Kentucky.    Orphaned  at  nine,  she  was  adopted  and  reared 
by  Richard  and  Lucy  Shipley  Berry,  at  whose  home  in  Beech- 
land,   Washington   County,   Kentucky,   she   was   married  to 
Thomas  Lincoln,  June  12,  I8O6.1     Of  this  union  were  born 
Sarah,    Abraham    and    Thomas.     The   first   married    Aaron 
Grigsby  and  died  in  Indiana  in  1828.     The  last  died  in  in 
fancy.    The  second  lived  to  write  the  Emancipation  Proclama 
tion.    The  days  of  the  distaff,  the  skillet,  the  Dutch  oven,  the 
open  fireplace,  with  its  iron  crane,  are  no  longer,  but  home- 
tablet  erroneously  says  "June  17,  1806." 
272 


NANCY  HANKS  273 

making  is  still  the  finest  of  the  fine  arts.  Nancy  Hanks  was 
touched  with  the  divine  aptitudes  of  the  fireside.  Loved  and 
honored  for  her  wit,  geniality  and  intelligence,  she  justified 
an  ancestry  reaching  beyond  seas,  represented  by  the  notable 
names  of  Hanks,  Shipley,  Boone,  Evans  and  Morris.  To  her 
was  entrusted  the  task  of  training  a  giant,  in  whose  childhood's 
memories  she  was  hallowed.  Of  her  he  said,  "  My  earliest 
recollection  of  my  mother  is  sitting  at  her  feet  with  my  sister, 
drinking  in  the  tales  and  legends  that  were  read  and  related  to 
us."  To  him  on  her  deathbed  she  said,  "  I  am  going  away 
from  you  Abraham,  and  I  shall  not  return.  I  know  you  will  be 
a  good  boy,  that  you  will  be  kind  to  Sarah  and  your  father.  I 
want  you  to  live  as  I  have  taught  you,  and  love  your  heavenly 
Father." 

"  All  tliat  I  am  or  hope  to  be  I  owe  to  my  angel  mother." 

Of  Nancy  Hanks  William  H.  Herndon  wrote: 

Nancy  Hanks,  the  mother  of  the  President,  at  a  very 
early  age,  was  taken  from  her  mother  Lucy — afterward  mar 
ried  to  Henry  Sparrow — and  sent  to  live  with  her  aunt  and 
uncle,  Thomas  and  Betsy  Sparrow.  Under  this  same  roof  the 
irrepressible  and  cheerful  waif,  Dennis  Hanks,  whose  name 
will  be  frequently  seen  in  these  pages,  also  found  a  shelter. 
Dennis  Hanks,  still  [1889]  living  at  the  age  of  ninety  years 
in  Illinois,  was  the  son  of  another  Nancy  Hanks,  the  aunt  of 
the  President's  mother.  I  have  his  written  statement  that  he 
came  into  the  world  through  nature's  back  door.  He  never 
stated,  if  he  knew  it,  who  his  father  was.  At  the  time  of 
her  marriage  to  Thomas  Lincoln,  Nancy  was  in  her  twenty- 
third  year.  She  was  above  the  ordinary  height  in  stature, 
weighed  about  130  pounds,  was  slenderly  built,  and  had  much 
the  appearance  of  one  inclined  to  consumption.  Her  skin 
was  dark;  hair  dark  brown;  eyes  gray  and  small;  forehead 
prominent;  face  sharp  and  angular,  with  a  marked  expression 
for  melancholy  which  fixed  itself  in  the  memory  of  all  who 
ever  saw  or  knew  her.  Though  her  life  was  clouded  by 
a  spirit  of  sadness,  she  was  in  disposition  amiable  and  generally 
cheerful.  Mr.  Lincoln  himself  said  to  me  in  1851,  on  receiv 
ing  news  of  his  father's  death,  that  whatever  might  be  said  of 
his  parents,  and  however  unpromising  the  early  surroundings 


274    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

of  his  mother  may  have  been,  she  was  highly  intellectual  by 
nature,  had  a  strong  memory,  acute  judgment,  and  was  cool 
and  heroic.  From  a  mental  standpoint  she  no  doubt  rose  above 
her  surroundings,  and  had  she  lived,  the  stimulus  of  her  nature 
would  have  accelerated  her  son's  success,  and  she  would  have 
been  a  much  more  ambitious  prompter  than  his  father  ever 
was. — Life  of  Lincoln,  Vol.  I,  pp.  13-14. 

Lamon  describes  her  as: 

A  slender,  symmetrical  woman,  of  medium  stature,  a 
brunette,  with  dark  hair,  regular  features,  and  soft,  sparkling 
hazel  eyes.  Tenderly  bred,  she  might  have  been  beautiful; 
but  hard  labor  and  hard  usage  bent  her  handsome  form,  and 
imparted  an  unusual  coarseness  to  her  features  long  before  the 
period  of  her  death.  Toward  the  close,  her  life  and  her  face 
were  equally  sad ;  and  the  latter  habitually  wore  the  woeful 
expression  which  afterwards  distinguished  the  countenance 
of  her  son  in  repose.  By  her  family,  her  understanding  was 
considered  something  wonderful.  John  Hanks  spoke  rever 
ently  of  her  "  high  intellectual  forehead,'*  which  he  con 
sidered  but  the  proper  seat  of  faculties  like  hers.  Compared 
with  the  mental  poverty  of  her  husband  and  relatives,  her 
accomplishments  were  certainly  very  great;  for  it  is  related  by 
them  with  pride  and  delight  that  she  could  actually  read  and 
write.  The  possession  of  these  arts  placed  her  far  above  her 
associates,  and  after  a  little  while  even  Tom  began  to  meditate 
upon  the  importance  of  acquiring  them.  He  set  to  work,  ac 
cordingly,  in  real  earnest,  having  a  competent  instructor  so 
near  at  hand;  and  with  much  effort  she  taught  him  what  let 
ters  composed  his  name,  and  how  to  put  them  together  in  a 
stiff  and  clumsy  fashion.  Henceforth  he  signed  no  more  by 
making  his  mark;  but  it  is  nowhere  stated  that  he  ever  learned 
to  write  anything  else,  or  to  read  either  written  or  printed 
letters. — LAMON:  Life  of  Lincoln,  p.  n. 

Mrs.  Hitchcock  gives  this  picture  of  her  appearance: 

"  Traditions  of  Nancy  Hanks*   appearance  at  this  time 

(the  time  of  her  marriage)  all  agree  in  calling  her  a  beautiful 

girl.    She  is  said  to  have  been  of  a  medium  height,  weighing 

about  130  pounds,  light  hair,  beautiful  eyes,  a  sensitive  mouth, 


NANCY  HANKS  275 

and  a  kindly  gentle  manner"  (p.  51).  "  Bright,  scintillating, 
noted  for  her  keen  wit  and  repartee,  she  had  withal  a  loving 
heart"  (p.  51).  When  she  went  to  live  with  the  Berrys, 
"  Her  cheerful  disposition  and  active  habits  were  a  dower  to 
those  pioneers." — HITCHCOCK:  Nancy  Hanks,  p.  73. 

These  two  traditions  agree  as  to  her  weight.  Herndon  is 
more  likely  to  be  accurate  than  Mrs.  Hitchcock  where  the  ac 
counts  vary.  He  talked  earlier  with  people  who  had  known 
her  personally.  His  authorities  were  John  and  Dennis  Hanks 
and  Sarah  Bush  Lincoln.  But  we  do  not  have  a  very  clear 
picture  of  her  personality,  though  what  we  know  commends 
her  to  our  interest  and  regard. 

The  earlier  descriptions  agree  that  Nancy  Hanks  was  dark, 
but  recent  sentimental  literature  tends  to  make  her  a  blonde, 
and  not  to  be  content  with  her  possession  of  all  the  womanly 
arts,  enabling  her  to  "  spin  the  longest  threads  "  as  members 
of  the  Hanks  family  affirmed,  but  also,  as  in  one  recent  book, 
The  Matrix,  by  Maria  Thompson  Daviess,  endowing  her  with 
masculine  strength,  so  that  she  was  famous  as  a  champion  at 
corn  huskings,  a  breaker  of  colts,  a  driver  of  wild  horses,  and 
a  woman  of  wonderful  wit,  vivacity  and  intellectual  power. 

The  Atlantic  Monthly  for  February,  1920,  contained  an 
article  by  Mr.  Arthur  E.  Morgan,  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  who,  in 
travels  through  the  Ozark  mountains  came  upon  a  branch  of 
the  Hanks  family  descended  from  Polly  Hanks,  the  sister  of 
Nancy,  through  her  daughter  Sophie.  Sophie  Hanks  was 
just  a  month  younger  than  President  Lincoln.  She  is  the  sister 
who,  according  to  Lamon,  married  Thomas  Friend,  and  ac 
cording  to  others  married  Jesse  Friend.  According  to  "  The 
Doctor  "  a  son  of  this  Sophie  Hanks,  from  whom  Mr.  Morgan 
obtained  most  of  his  information, — 

"  Sophie  Hanks's  mother,  Sarah  or  Polly  Hanks,  was  a 
sister  of  Lincoln's  mother.  Though  she  never  married,  she 
had  six  children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  maturity,  bearing  their 
mother's  name.  Sophie  Hanks  died  in  November,  1895,  but 
her  three  children,  living  in  different  parts  of  the  Ozarks,  re 
tained  a  part  of  the  information  they  received  from  her." 

The  name  of  "  The  Doctor"  is  not  given;  and  the  article 


276     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

is  reticent  on  a  number  of  important  points.  It  leaves  upon 
the  mind  of  the  reader  the  question  whether  illegitimacy 
stopped  with  Polly  Hanks.  It  is  evident  from  the  article  that 
the  children  of  Sophie  Hanks  were  the  children  of  more  than 
one  father;  and  whether  she  was  married  to  these  two  or  more 
men  in  turn  is  not  stated.  The  Doctor,  however,  gives  this 
very  interesting  information: 

"  Those  stories  about  Abraham  Linkhorn  being  an  illegiti 
mate  child  are  untrue.  Aunt  Nancy  and  Uncle  Tom  were 
married  regular.  But  his  mother  was  an  illegitimate  child. 
I  have  always  understood  this  from  what  my  mother  said 
about  it.  But  my  cousin  said  that  our  grandmother  Hanks 
and  Linkhorn's  mother  were  half-sisters  and  also  cousins. 
My  mother  never  told  me  that,  but  I  have  often  heard  her 
say  that  we  were  badly  mixed." 

I  was,  of  course,  eager  to  know  if  Mr.  Morgan  had  addi 
tional  information,  and  I  have  troubled  him  with  many  let 
ters.  He  has  searched  his  notes  for  me,  and  he  has  given  me 
all  the  additional  information  which  he  can  obtain.  I  have 
incorporated  it  in  the  Appendix.  Let  me  here  call  attention 
to  the  fact  that  while  "  The  Doctor,"  whose  name  Mr.  Morgan 
gives  me  as  James  Legrand,2  states  positively  that  Nancy 
Hanks  was  the  illegitimate  daughter  of  Lucy  Hanks,  John 
T.  Hanks,  son  of  Dennis  Hanks  and  Elizabeth  Johnston,  and 
daughter  of  Abraham  Lincoln's  step-mother,  affirms  that  she 
was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Nancy  Hanks. 

Although  the  plan  of  this  book  does  not  contemplate  in 
vestigation  of  the  maternal  line  of  Abraham  Lincoln's  ancestry, 
I  desired  to  inform  myself  as  accurately  as  possible  on  all 
questions  of  the  family  of  Nancy  Hanks  which  had  or  might 
have  relation  to  the  special  field  of  this  present  inquiry.  Mrs. 
Hitchcock  announced  in  1909  that  her  Nancy  Hanks  would 
be  followed  soon  by  the  publication  of  a  complete  Hanks 
genealogy.  This  would  have  been  of  considerable  service,  and 
I  sought  for  it,  but  could  not  find  that  it  had  been  published. 
I  therefore  wrote  to  the  New  England  Historic  Genealogical 

1  As  this  book  goes  to  press,  a  letter  informs  me  of  the  probably  fatal 
illness  of  Dr.  Legrand. 


NANCY  HANKS  277 

Society,  as  Mrs.  Hitchcock  was  a  New  England  woman  and 
traced  the  Hanks  family  from  a  New  England  line,  and  I 
received  this  reply: 

BOSTON,  MASS.,  April  23,  1920. 
DEAR  SIR: 

In  reply  to  your  letter  of  April  21  seeking  information 
about  a  Mrs.  Hitchcock  who  published  a  book  on  "  Nancy 
Hanks"  in  1909,  I  beg  to  say  that  we  are  unable  to  tell  you 
whether  Mrs.  Hitchcock  is  still  living  or  not;  nor  do  we  know 
where  her  manuscript  relating  to  the  Hanks  family  is  at  the 
present  time. 

Very  truly  yours, 

THORNTON  KIRKLAND  LOTHROP,  JR., 

Corresponding  Secretary. 

This  ends  my  hope  of  securing  in  time  for  this  volume  any 
added  light  on  the  Hanks  family  from  Mrs.  Hitchcock  or  her 
manuscript.  For  my  purpose  it  does  not  greatly  matter ;  but  I 
think  that  authors  who  are  hereafter  to  go  into  that  side  of 
the  question  should  go  more  thoroughly  into  the  inquiry  than 
does  her  little  book.  I  am  not  expressing  the  opinion  that 
in  this  particular  her  book  is  inaccurate ;  I  simply  have  not  been 
able  to  confirm  all  of  her  affirmations,  and  I  do  not  know 
where  the  data  may  be  obtained. 

Lea  and  Hutchinson,  in  their  invaluable  work  on  The 
Ancestry  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  have  placed  all  students  of 
this  subject  under  permanent  obligations  to  them,  especially 
for  their  researches  into  the  English  ancestry.  They  have  not 
always  been  discriminating  in  their  research  in  American 
records,  and  I  have  discovered  not  a  few  errors  in  their  book. 
In  the  matter  of  the  Hanks  genealogy,  they  accept  almost 
without  question  the  results  of  Mrs.  Hitchcock's  investigations; 
but  this  has  not  carried  them  out  of  the  region  of  perplexity. 
They  say : 

While  the  indefatigable  researches  of  a  member  of  the 
Hanks  family,  Mrs.  Caroline  Hanks  Hitchcock,  have  forever 
silenced  by  overwhelming  and  cumulative  proofs  the  vicious 


278    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

and  unclean  fabrications  and  slanders  which  cast  doubt  on  the 
parentage  of  the  mother  of  the  President,  it  is  greatly  to  be 
deplored  that  the  ascending  line  of  her  ancestry,  beyond  her 
parents,  still  remains  without  positive  proof.  Two  theories 
have  been  propounded  of  which  both  will  be  given  here  as 
worthy  of  respectful  attention,  but  of  which  neither  can  be 
accepted  by  the  writers  as  demonstrated  beyond  the  reasonable 
doubt  caused  by  lack  of  complete  proof.  In  other  words,  we 
still  lack  legal  demonstration  of  the  paternity  of  Joseph  Hanks, 
husband  of  Nancy  Shipley  and  father  of  Nancy  Hanks,  the 
mother  of  the  President. — The  Ancestry  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
p.  112. 

The  question  of  the  identity  of  Joseph  Hanks  is,  indeed, 
one  of  difficulty,  and  Lea  and  Hutchinson  are  not  the  only 
ones  who  have  encountered  it.  It  is  the  same  difficulty  which 
confronts  us  at  every  turn  in  the  annals  of  this  family,  with 
its  meager  records,  its  conflicting  traditions,  its  overlapping 
generations  and  its  reduplication  of  names. 

The  case  of  Joseph  Hanks  will  serve  to  illustrate  what 
meets  us  in  other  inquiries.  We  need  one  Joseph  Hanks,  and 
we  have  three.  One  of  them  appears  as  the  father  and  two 
of  them  as  the  uncles  of  the  mother  of  the  President.  Surely 
there  were  not  in  the  family  three  sons  named  Joseph.  Yet 
we  have  Joseph  Hanks  of  Nelson  County,  dying  in  1793, 
leaving  to  each  of  his  five  sons  a  horse  and  to  each  of  his  three 
daughters  a  heifer,  of  which  the  spotted  one  named  "  Piedy  " 
was  inherited  by  Nancy,  the  youngest  daughter,  and  the  rest 
of  the  estate  to  his  wife,  Nancy.  We  also  have  Joseph  Hanks, 
uncle  of  Nancy,  living  in  Elizabeth  town  in  1808,  in  whose 
shop  Thomas  Lincoln  was  an  apprentice.  And  we  have 
Joseph  Hanks,  uncle  of  Nancy,  who  was  a  shoemaker,  and 
not  a  carpenter,  and  who  married  Sarah  Freeman.  These  are 
not  all  the  Josephs,  but  they  are  more  than  enough  to  bewilder 
the  genealogist. 

I  venture  a  suggestion  which,  if  it  should  be  found  correct, 
would  remove  from  this  tangle  one  of  the  Josephs.  It  is  that 
Joseph  Hanks,  the  carpenter,  of  Elizabethtown,  was  not  the 
uncle,  but  the  brother,  of  Nancy  Hanks,  the  mother  of  the 


NANCY  HANKS  279 

President.     Lamon,  on  information  derived  from  Herndon, 
said,  in  1872, — 

"  It  was  in  the  shop  of  her  uncle,  Joseph  Hanks,  of  Eliza- 
bethtown,  that  he  [Thomas  Lincoln]  essayed  to  learn  the  trade. 
We  have  no  record  of  the  courtship,  but  any  one  can  readily 
imagine  the  numberless  occasions  that  would  bring  together 
the  niece  and  the  apprentice." — Life  of  Lincoln,  p.  10. 

Later  authorities  have  followed  this  without  question,  and 
so  has  the  present  author.  But  in  one  record  in  Elizabethtown 
I  find  a  suggestion  that  this  Joseph  was  not  her  uncle  but  her 
older  brother.  I  have  not  investigated ;  but  record  the  sugges 
tion  for  what  it  may  be  worth. 

Joseph  owned  rather  large  traots  of  land  in  Hardin  County, 
and  did  jury-duty  there,  as  shown  by  the  court  records. 

In  the  case  of  Nancy  Hanks  the  situation  is  far  more  per 
plexing.  I  did  not  at  any  time  intend  to  explore  it,  for  at  the 
outset  I  relied  with  entire  confidence  on  Mrs.  Hitchcock. 

She  tells  us  of  Nancy  Hanks  as  born  in  Virginia,  Febru 
ary  4,  1784,  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Nancy  (Shipley) 
Hanks,  the  same  Joseph  who  died  in  1793,  and  left  to  his 
youngest  daughter,  Nancy,  the  spotted  heifer  calf.  This  Nancy 
was  adopted  and  reared  by  Richard  Berry  and  his  wife,  Lucy 
Shipley  Berry,  the  latter  being  the  sister  of  Nancy  Shipley 
Hanks,  and  so  the  aunt  of  Nancy.  From  this  home  she  was 
married,  her  uncle  and  guardian,  Richard  Berry,  signing  her 
marriage  bond  with  the  bridegroom,  Thomas  Lincoln.  The 
will  and  the  marriage  bond  are  incontestable  records,  and  the 
place  of  the  marriage  is  as  certain  as  human  testimony  can  fix 
it  at  a  date  so  remote,  yet  within  the  memory  of  living  and 
credible  witnesses  who  have  left  their  signed  and  sworn  and 
indisputable  testimony.  Although  in  other  matters  I  have 
found  Mrs.  Hitchcock's  judgment  subject  to  revision,  she  has 
in  this  particular  too  much  of  irrefutable  fact  to  be  disputed 
except  on  evidence  much  stronger  than  any  that  I  have  found. 
The  age  of  this  Nancy  is  essentially  correct  for  her  require 
ments  as  the  wife  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  and  if  she  did  not  marry 
him,  we  do  not  know  what  became  of  her.  The  will,  the  mar 
riage  bond,  the  place  and  date  of  marriage,  all  agree.  More- 


280    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

over,  I  have  found  in  Washington  County  large  groups  of  rela 
tives  and  descendants  of  the  Berrys  and  Shipley s  and  related 
families,  who  all  accept  this  theory,  and  who  find  that  it  fits 
into  their  local  traditions.  Mrs.  Hitchcock  is  not,  therefore, 
to  be  lightly  flouted  when  she  identifies  the  mother  of  the 
President  with  the  little  nine-year-old  heiress  of  the  Peid  heifer. 
In  spite  of  all  the  inherent  difficulties  in  the  theory,  I  find 
myself  unable  to  escape  from  the  logic  of  it.  I  still  hold  it 
as  on  the  whole  the  best  theory  of  the  paternity  of  Nancy 
Hanks.  I  had  hoped  that  in  the  course  of  this  inquiry  into 
a  closely  related  question,  I  should  have  been  able  to  clear  up 
the  difficulties  in  a  manner  that  would  satisfy  myself  com 
pletely;  I  regret  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  do  so. 

What  we  encounter  on  the  opposite  side  is  the  almost  unani 
mous  tradition  of  the  Hanks  family.  To  be  sure,  they  kept 
few  records,  and  their  memories  do  not  wholly  agree.  But 
this  is  what  they  tell  us  about  the  mother  of  the  President, 
and  it  is  what  he  himself  apparently  believed : 

There  were  four  Hanks  sisters,  Betsy,  Polly,  Nancy  and 
Lucy.  Betsy  married  Thomas  Sparrow;  Polly  married  Jesse 
Friend;  Nancy  married  Levi  Hall  and  Lucy  married  Henry 
Sparrow.  Before  her  marriage  to  Levi  Hall,  Nancy  became 
the  mother  of  Dennis  Hanks.  Before  her  marriage  to  Henry 
Sparrow,  Lucy  became,  in  1783,  the  mother  of  Nancy  Hanks. 
The  two  bridegrooms  accepted  their  respective  brides  as  they 
were,  but  did  not  accept  their  illegitimate  children,  both  of 
whom  were  brought  up  by  their  maternal  aunt,  Betsy  Hanks, 
wife  of  Thomas  Sparrow.  Nancy  Hanks  was  called  by  the 
name  of  Sparrow,  not  from  the  man  who  subsequent  to  her 
birth  married  her  mother,  Lucy,  but  from  her  aunt  Betsy  and 
her  husband,  Thomas  Sparrow.  These  were  the  only  parents 
she  ever  knew.  She  called  them  father  and  mother.  They 
journeyed  to  Indiana  after  her,  lived  and  died  with  her,  and 
all  their  Indiana  neighbors  understood  that  they  were  her 
parents.  All  her  Hanks  cousins  called  Nancy,  not  Nancy 
Hanks,  but  Nancy  Sparrow.  They  knew  nothing  about  her 
relation  to  the  Shipley  s,  or  of  her  being  the  daughter  of  Joseph 
Hanks. 


NANCY  HANKS  281 

They  may  have  been  mistaken.  The  President  may  have 
been  mistaken,  as  he  was  mistaken  about  certain  other  matters 
concerning  his  relations.  He  was  too  sensitive  about  it  to  make 
many  inquiries,  and  those  which  he  made  did  not  reassure 
him.  We  cannot  accept  his  immature  opinions  on  a  matter 
where  he  may  so  easily  have  been  misled.  But  we  may  not 
throw  out  of  court  this  whole  body  of  Hanks  tradition,  tangled 
and  difficult  as  it  is. 

There  are  certain  facts  on  each  side.  The  truth  must  be 
inclusive  of  all  these  facts  and  of  such  others  as  will  explain 
their  relation  to  each  other.  The  unifying  and  clarifying  truth 
has  not  yet  been  produced,  and  it  will  be  very  difficult  to 
obtain  it,  for  the  reasons  indicated. 

I  am  writing  thus  concerning  the  question  of  the  parentage 
of  Nancy  Hanks,  partly  because  I  wish  to  record  all  that  is 
certainly  known  about  her,  and  partly  lest  my  silence,  if  I 
were  to  be  silent,  should  be  construed  to  mean  that  I  have 
formed  an  adverse  judgment.  Such  judgment  I  have  not 
formed.  The  materials  for  a  final  judgment  are  not  avail 
able.  Moreover,  this  is  not  the  question  which  I  set  out  to 
answer;  though  I  would  gladly  answer  this  in  passing  if  I 
could  do  so. 

The  two  dates  given  for  the  birth  of  Nancy  Hanks,  one 
an  undesignated^day  in  1783,  and  the  other,  February  4,  1784, 
present  no  serious  discrepancy;  and  both  traditions  place  her 
birth  as  in  Virginia.  It  is  possible  that  some  one  will  take 
the  materials  gathered  by  Mrs.  Hitchcock,  and  those  assembled 
by  Mr.  Knotts,  which  largely  for  this  reason  I  am  printing 
in  this  volume,  and  those  that  had  previously  been  collected 
by  Mr.  Herndon,  and  after  further,  and  I  fear  extended,  in 
vestigation,  present  to  us  the  true  story  of  the  parentage  of 
Nancy  Hanks.  Until  then,  we  have  as  our  best  documentary 
proof  the  will  of  Joseph  Hanks,  the  marriage  bond  with  his 
signature,  a  significant  even  if  not  a  certain  piece  of  evidence 
of  guardianship,  and  in  addition  to  these  the  clearly  estab 
lished  fact  that  she  was  married  under  his  roof,  and  that  her 
relatives  resident  in  that  vicinity  believe  her  to  have  been  the 
legitimate  daughter  of  Joseph  Hanks,  an  honorable  man,  who 


282     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

died  in  1793.     There,  until  conclusive  evidence  is  presented, 
my  own  mind  is  constrained  to  rest. 

Miss  Tarbell  gives  account  of  the  parents,  particularly  of 
the  mother,  of  Abraham  Lincoln  as  follows : 

The  father,  Thomas  Lincoln,  far  from  being  a  "  poor 
white,"  was  the  son  of  a  prosperous  Kentucky  pioneer,  a  man 
of  honorable  and  well  established  lineage,  who  had  come  from 
Virginia  as  a  friend  of  Daniel  Boone,  and  had  there  bought 
large  tracts  of  land  and  begun  to  grow  up  with  the  country, 
where  he  was  killed  by  the  Indians.  He  left  a  large  family. 
By  the  law  of  Kentucky  the  estate  went  mainly  to  the  oldest 
son,  and  the  youngest,  Thomas  Lincoln,  was  left  to  shift  for 
himself.  This  youngest  son  grew  to  manhood,  and  on  June 
10,  1806,  was  married,  at  Beechland,  Kentucky,  to  a  young 
woman  of  a  family  well  known  in  the  vicinity,  Nancy  Hanks. 
There  is  no  doubt  whatever  about  the  time  and  the  place  of 
this  marriage.  All  the  legal  documents  required  in  Kentucky 
at  that  period  for  a  marriage  are  in  existence.  Not  only 
have  we  the  bond  and  the  certificate,  but  the  marriage  is  duly 
entered  in  a  list  of  marriage  returns  made  by  Jesse  Head,  one 
of  the  best-known  early  Methodist  ministers  of  Kentucky.  It 
is  now  to  be  seen  in  the  records  of  Washington  County,  Ken 
tucky.  There  is  even  in  existence  a  very  full  and  amusing 
account  of  the  wedding  and  the  fan-fare  which  followed  by  a 
guest  who  was  present,  and  who  for  years  after  was  accus 
tomed  to  visit  Thomas  and  Nancy.  This  guest,  Christopher 
•Columbus  Graham,  a  unique  and  perfectly  trustworthy  man, 
a  prominent  citizen  of  Louisville,  died  only  a  few  years  ago. 

But  while  these  documents  dispose  effectually  of  the  ques 
tion  of  the  parentage  of  Lincoln,  they  do  not,  of  course,  clear 
up  the  shadow  which  hangs  over  the  parentage  of  his  mother. 
Is  there  anything  to  show  that  Nancy  Hanks  herself  was  of 
clear  and  clean  lineage  as  her  husband?  There  had  been 
nothing  whatever  until,  a  few  years  ago,  through  the  efforts 
of  Mrs.  Caroline  Hanks  Hitchcock  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  who 
had  in  preparation  the  genealogy  of  the  Hanks  family  in 
America,  a  little  volume  was  published,  showing  what  she  had 
established  in  regard  to  Nancy  Hanks.  Mrs.  Hitchcock  had 
begun  at  the  far  end  of  the  line — the  arrival  of  one  Benjamin 
Hanks  in  Massachusetts  in  1699. 


NANCY  HANKS  283 

She  discovered  that  one  of  his  sons,  William,  moved  to 
Virginia,  and  that  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century 
his  children  formed,  in  Amelia  County  of  that  State,  a  large 
settlement.  All  the  records  of  these  families  she  found  in  the 
Hall  of  Records  in  Richmond.  When  the  migration  into 
Kentucky  began,  late  in  the  century,  it  was  joined  by  many 
members  of  the  Hanks  settlement  in  Amelia  County.  Among 
others  to  go  was  Joseph  Hanks  with  his  wife,  Nancy  Shipley 
Hanks,  and  their  children.  Mrs.  Hitchcock  traced  this  Joseph 
Hanks,  by  means  of  land  records,  to  Nelson  County,  Kentucky, 
where  she  found  that  he  died  in  1793,  leaving  behind  a  will, 
which  she  discovered  in  the  records  of  Bardstown,  Kentucky. 
This  will  shows  that  at  the  time  of  his  death  Joseph  Hanks  had 
eight  living  children,  to  whom  he  bequeathed  property.  The 
youngest  of  these  was  "  My  daughter  Nancy,"  as  the  will 
puts  it. 

Mrs.  Hitchcock's  first  query,  on  reading  this  will,  was: 
"  Can  it  be  that  this  little  girl — she  was  but  nine  years  old 
when  her  father  died — is  the  Nancy  Hanks  who  sixteen  years 
later  became  the  mother  of  Abraham  Lincoln?"  She  deter 
mined  to  find  out.  She  learned  from  relations  and  friends 
of  the  family  of  Joseph  Hanks  still  living  that,  soon  after 
her  father's  death,  Nancy  went  to  live  with  an  uncle,  Richard 
Berry,  who,  the  records  showed,  had  come  from  Virginia  to 
Kentucky  at  the  same  time  that  Joseph  Hanks  came.  A  little 
further  research,  and  Mrs.  Hitchcock  found  that  there  had 
been  brought  to  light  through  the  efforts  of  friends  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  all  the  documents  to  show  that  in  1806  Nancy  Hanks 
and  Thomas  Lincoln  were  married  at  Beechland,  Kentucky. 
Now,  one  of  these  documents  was  a  marriage  bond.  It  was 
signed  by  Richard  Berry,  the  uncle  of  the  little  girl  recog 
nized  in  the  will  of  Joseph  Hanks.  Here,  then,  was  the  chain 
complete.  The  marriage  bond  and  marriage  returns  not  only 
showed  that  Nancy  Hanks  and  Thomas  Lincoln  were  married 
regularly  three  years  before  the  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
thus  forever  settling  any  question  as  to  the  parentage  of  Lin 
coln,  but  they  showed  that  this  Nancy  Hanks  was  the  one 
named  in  the  will.  The  suspicion  in  regard  to  the  origin  of 
Lincoln's  mother  was  removed  by  this  discovery  of  the  will, 
for  the  recognition  of  any  one  as  his  child  by  a  man  in  his 
will  is  considered  by  the  law  as  sufficient  proof  of  paternity. 


284.    PATERNITY  OE  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Now  what  sort  of  people  were  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy 
Hanks  ?  It  has  been  inferred  by  those  who  have  made  no  in 
vestigation  of  Thomas  Lincoln's  life  that  Nancy  Hanks 
made  a  very  poor  choice  of  a  husband.  The  facts  do  not 
entirely  warrant  this  theory.  Thomas  Lincoln  had  been 
forced  from  his  boyhood  to  shift  for  himself  in  a  young  and 
undeveloped  country.  He  is  known  to  have  been  a  man  who 
in  spite  of  this  wandering  life  contracted  no  bad  habits.  He 
was  temperate  and  honest,  and  his  name  is  recorded  in  more 
than  one  place  in  the  records  of  Kentucky.  He  was  a  church 
goer,  and,  if  tradition  may  be  believed,  a  stout  defender  of  his 
peculiar  religious  views.  He  held  advanced  ideas  of  what  was 
already  an  important  public  question  in  Kentucky,  the  right 
to  hold  negroes  as  slaves.  One  of  his  old  friends  has  said 
of  him  and  his  wife,  Nancy  Hanks,  that  they  were  "  just 
steeped  full  of  notions  about  the  wrongs  of  slavery  and  the 
rights  of  men,  as  explained  by  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Thomas 
Paine. "  These  facts  show  that  he  must  have  been  a  man  of 
some  natural  intelligence.  He  had  a  trade  and  owned  a  farm. 

As  for  Nancy  Hanks,  less  that  is  definite  is  known  of  her. 
In  nature,  in  education,  and  in  ambition  she  was,  if  tradition 
is  to  be  believed,  far  above  her  husband.  She  was  famous 
for  her  spinning  and  her  household  accomplishments,  it  is  said. 

It  was  to  these  two  people,  then,  that  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  born  on  February  12,  1809.  His  birthplace  was  a  farm 
Thomas  Lincoln  owned,  and  near  Elizabethtown,  Kentucky. 
The  home  into  which  the  little  chap  came  was  the  ordinary  one 
of  the  poorer  Western  pioneer — a  one-roomed  cabin  with  a 
huge  outside  chimney.  Although  in  many  ways  it  was  no 
doubt  uncomfortable,  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  it  was  an 
unhappy  or  a  squalid  one.  The  log  house,  with  its  great  fire 
place  and  heavy  walls,  is  not  such  a  bad  place  to  live  in — 
some  of  us  are  thankful  to  get  away  into  the  country  to  one 
now  and  then  even  in  winter.  Its  furniture  was  simple,  and 
no  doubt  much  of  it  home-made.  The  very  utensils  were  of 
home  manufacture.  The  feathers  in  the  beds  were  plucked 
from  the  geese  Nancy  Lincoln  raised.  She  patched  her  own 
quilts,  spun  her  own  linsey-woolsey.  No  doubt  Thomas  Lin 
coln  made  Abraham's  cradle  and  Nancy  Lincoln  spun  the 
cloth  for  his  first  garments.  They  raised  their  own  corn, 
dried  their  own  fruit,  hunted  their  own  game,  raised  their  own 


NANCY  HANKS  285 

pork  and  beef.  It  was  the  hard  life  of  the  pioneer  where  every 
man  provides  for  his  own  needs.  It  had  discomforts,  but  it 
had,  too,  that  splendid  independence  and  resourcefulness  which 
comes  only  from  being  sufficient  to  your  own  needs. 

That  the  two  people  who  endured  its  hardships  and  made 
in  spite  of  them  a  home  where  a  boy  could  conceive  and 
nourish  such  ideals  and  enthusiasms  as  inspired  Abraham  Lin 
coln  from  his  early  years  should  have  their  names  darkened 
by  unfounded  suspicions  is  a  cruel  injustice  against  which 
every  honest  and  patriotic  American  ought  to  set  his  face. 

In  all  the  twenty-eight  years  of  her  life  Nancy  Hanks  never 
was  permitted  to  spend  a  year  or  even  a  day  under  a  roof  that 
she  could  legally  have  called  her  own.  In  her  first  tweruty- 
two  years  she  lived  among  her  relatives.  The  humble  cabin 
to  which  Thomas  Lincoln  took  her  on  her  marriage,  and  where 
she  lived  until  her  first  child  Sarah  was  a  little  more  than  a 
year  old,  was  not  his  own;  the  lot  in  Elizabethtown  which 
many  years  afterward  he  sold,  came  to  him  from  his  second 
wife.  On  the  Brownfield  farm  he  lived  for  a  few  months  as 
a  tenant.  The  Rock  Spring  farm  on  Nolin  Creek  where  Lin 
coln  was  born  was  occupied  by  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln 
without  any  deed  of  record,  and  the  title,  or  at  least  the 
equitable  title,  rested  during  his  occupancy  in  a  man  with  whom 
Thomas  Lincoln  is  not  known  to  have  had  any  dealings.  If 
after  this  he  lived  for  a  year  in  Washington  County,  as  appears 
to  have  been  the  case,  his  home  was  presumably  among  his 
wife's  relations,  or  possibly  his  own  relations;  he  paid  no  taxes 
there  on  real  estate.  The  Knob  Creek  farm,  by  far  the  most 
picturesque  and  fertile  of  his  Kentucky  holdings,  he  occupied 
without  title  so  far  as  known,  and  removed  from  it  without 
making  a  deed.  He  settled  on  government  land  in  Indiana,  and 
in  the  course  of  years  entered  it  and  received  a  patent  from  the 
government  for  half  of  that  which  he  originally  entered;  but 
before  he  received  his  patent  Nancy  had  died.  She  could  have 
sung  with  some  of  the  old  time  camp-meeting  preachers: 

No  foot  of  land  do  I  possess, 
No  cabin  in  this  wilderness, 
Till  I  my  Canaan  gain. 


286    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Like  her  husband,  Nancy  Hanks  was  a  Baptist.  So  far 
as  we  know,  their  association  with  Rev.  Jesse  Head,  who  was 
a  local  Methodist  deacon  at  Springfield,  was  casual;  but  Dr. 
Christopher  Columbus  Graham  affirms  that  Mr.  Head  was  a 
strong  abolitionist,  and  that  Thomas  and  Nancy  were  well 
saturated  with  abolition  principles  which  they  learned  from 
him.  This  may  be  true,  but  we  have  no  other  witness  to  this. 
Dr.  Graham  was  a  truthful  man,  but  was  a  very  old  man  when 
he  made  this  statement.  The  minds  of  old  men  tend  to  elabo 
rate  such  themes.  The  statement  that  Jesse  Head  was  an 
abolitionist  is  not  at  all  improbable.  But  I  have  not  found 
other  evidence  than  this  that  Thomas  Lincoln  was  an  aboli 
tionist.  However,  his  son,  Abraham,  could  say  that  he  could 
not  remember  a  time  when  he  did  not  believe  slavery  to  be 
wrong;  and  it  is  easily  possible  that  Thomas  Lincoln  held  to 
this  same  opinion,  and  that  he  may  have  learned  it,  or  been 
strengthened  in  it,  by  Jesse  Head.  It  is  easy  to  believe  that 
Nancy  would  have  shared  this  opinion;  and  there  is  no  good 
reason  to  contradict  Dr.  Graham ;  though  we  could  wish  we  had 
confirmatory  proof. 

The  name  Nancy  became  such  a  general  favorite  in  the 
Hanks  family,  it  would  be  interesting  to  discover,  if  possible, 
who  was  the  original  Nancy  Hanks.  Apparently  that  name 
came  into  the  Hanks  list  of  family  names  with  the  marriage 
of  James  Hanks  of  Virginia,  son  of  William.  The  name  of 
his  wife  was  Nancy.  James,  it  will  be  remembered,  removed 
to  South  Carolina  with  his  brothers  John,  Joseph  and  Luke. 
We  know  nothing  about  the  personality  of  Mrs.  James  Hanks, 
but  it  is  not  going  far  into  the  realm  of  imagination  to  con 
jecture  that  this  daughter-in-law  of  the  family  must  have 
been  attractive  and  good,  since  all  branches  of  the  family  ap 
pear  to  have  begun  at  once  the  practice  of  naming  their 
daughters  after  her;  and  thus  the  name  came  into  immediate 
and  permanent  prominence  in  that  family. 


CHAPTER  XXX 
DID  LINCOLN  HONOR  HIS  FATHER? 

THOMAS  and  Abraham  Lincoln  had  some  traits  in  common, 
such  as  their  coarse  black  hair,  their  deep-set  gray  eyes,  their 
ability  to  tell,  and  their  enjoyment  in  the  telling  of,  a  good 
story,  and  their  disinclination  to  perform  needless  manual 
labor.  Neither  of  them  ever  demanded  too  much  in  the  way 
of  physical  comfort;  Abraham  to  the  end  of  his  life  never  was 
fastidious  about  his  bed  or  his  food,  or  knew  or  seemed  to 
care  whether  the  sheets  were  clean  or  the  food  was  well 
cooked.  Thomas,  as  Lamon  says,  "was  satisfied  with  indif 
ferent  shelter,  and  a  diet  of  corn-bread  and  milk  was  all  he 
asked.  John  Hanks  naively  observes  that  '  happiness  was  the 
end  of  life  with  him '  '  (Life  of  Lincoln,  p.  15).  Abraham 
was  much  like  Thomas  in  this,  preferring  meager  physical 
comfort  to  too  great  physical  exertion,  and  being  quite  indif 
ferent  to  the  refinements  of  living. 

Beyond  this,  they  were  not  very  congenial.  If  Thomas 
Lincoln  did  not  like  to  work,  he  wanted  Abe  to  work;  and 
Abe  was  given  to  joking,  to  mounting  a  stump  and  orating, 
not  only  to  the  total  interruption  of  his  own  labor  in  the  field, 
but  the  labor  also  of  Dennis  Hanks  and  John  Johnston,  who 
were  very  willing  to  stop  work  and  sit  down  while  Abe  de 
livered  stump  speeches  or  sermons.  There  is  good  reason  to 
believe  that  this  more  than  once  vexed  the  righteous  soul  of 
Thomas  Lincoln,  who  was  vicariously  industrious,  and  that 
some  incidents  of  reproof  and  perhaps  physical  castigation 
lie  behind  Colonel  Chapman's  statement,  derived  doubtless 
from  his  wife,  and  by  her  from  her  father  Dennis  Hanks,  and 
so  with  abundant  opportunity  for  exaggeration,  that  "  Abe's 
father  treated  him  with  habitual  cruelty." — LAMON,  Life  of 
Lincoln,  p.  40. 

The  only  specific  instance,  however,  that  has  come  down 

287 


288     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

to  us,  of  the  cruelty  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  is  that  he  is  alleged 
by  Dennis  to  have  knocked  Abe  off  the  fence  for  answering  a 
traveler's  questions  about  the  road.  (LAMON,  Life  of  Lincoln, 
pp.  40  and  77.)  But  it  is  evident,  first,  that  this  incident  was 
exceptional,  and  secondly,  that  we  do  not  have  the  whole  story. 
If  we  knew  all  the  facts,  we  probably  should  learn  that  Abe 
sat  on  the  fence  for  a  good  while  and  chatted  with  the  passing 
stranger  while  Thomas  waited  for  him  to  return  and  hoe  out 
his  row.  If  all  that  Abe  did  was  to  answer  a  civil  question, 
it  was  not  necessary  for  him  to  climb  the  fence  and  sit  upon 
the  top  rail.  He  could  have  answered  from  the  field.  Thomas 
may  have  been  unduly  harsh,  but  he  probably  had  provoca 
tion.  The  top  of  a  rail  fence  was  an  attractive  place  for  Abra 
ham  Lincoln,  who  had  more  than  one  reason  to  think  highly 
of  fence  rails. 

We  are  justified  in  moderating  somewhat  Colonel  Chap 
man's  statement  which  is  to  be  taken  with  some  abatement. 
The  most  that  we  need  believe  is  Dennis  Hanks'  direct  answer 
to  Herndon's  question,  "  Did  Thomas  Lincoln  treat  Abe 
cruelly?" 

"  He  (Tom)  loved  him.  I  never  could  tell  whether  Abe 
loved  his  father  very  well  or  not.  I  don't  think  he  did,  for 
he  was  one  of  those  forward  boys.  I  have  seen  his  father 
knock  him  down  off  the  fence  when  a  stranger  would  ask  the 
way  to  a  neighbor's  house.  Abe  always  would  have  the  first 
word.  The  old  man  loved  his  children." — LAMON:  Life  of 
Lincoln,  p.  77. 

This  is  definite  as  to  Thomas  Lincoln's  love  for  Abe, 
spite  of  his  rough  discipline;  and  it  is  about  what  we  might 
expect  as  to  Abe's  love  for  his  father.  Abe  was  "  forward," 
always  wanted  the  first  word  with  a  passing  stranger,  and  in 
no  haste  to  say  the  last  word,  and  how  much  he  loved  the  man 
whom  he  rather  quickly  outgrew  in  intellectual  attainment  and 
in  ambition,  we  are  not  sure.  He  does  not  appear  to  have  had 
an  affection  rooted  in  mutual  interests  and  common  sym 
pathies,  but  he  loved  him  as  much,  apparently,  as  such  a  son 
would  have  been  likely  to  love  such  a  father;  and  to  say  that 
is  not  to  speak  very  ill  of  either  of  them, 


DID  LINCOLN  HONOR  HIS  FATHER?     289 

Sarah  Bush  Lincoln  told  Herndon  that  she  was  interested 
in  Abe's  love  of  books,  and  obtained  for  him  leisure  to  read 
and  study.  Thomas  Lincoln  appears  to  have  acceded  to  her 
request  as  cheerfully  as,  under  all  the  conditions,  might  have 
been  expected.  But  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  he  entered 
into  all  the  hopes  and  vague  longings  of  this  lazy,  moody, 
dreamer. 

If  half  the  marriages  can  be  said  to  be  of  persons  per 
fectly  adapted  to  be  each  other's  life  companions,  there  remain 
the  other  half  more  or  less  imperfectly  matched.  Of  these, 
it  may  be  presumed,  the  wife  is  the  husband's  superior  in  at 
least  half  the  cases.  Certainly  Sarah  Bush  was,  in  education 
and  social  standing  and  ambition,  the  superior  of  Thomas  Lin 
coln,  and  there  are  cases  of  this  sort,  not  a  few. 

Every  one  who  will  look  around  him  can  discover  with 
out  difficulty  families  in  which  a  mother  cherishes  higher  am 
bitions  for  her  son  than  that  he  shall  follow  in  the  footsteps  of 
his  father.  In  many  cases  the  father  shares  the  ambition  of 
his  wife  and  son,  feeling  painfully  his  own  lack  of  youthful 
advantages  and  making  large  sacrifice  that  his  son  may  rise 
higher  in  the  world  than  he  has  been  able  to  rise.  But  it  is 
not  always  so.  Sometimes  such  a  father,  even  though  willing 
to  do  all  that  seems  to  him  necessary  for  his  son's  welfare, 
sees  no  necessity  for  educating  him  above  his  father's  station 
and  his  own  probable  station  in  life. 

In  such  a  home  there  is  no  question  of  legitimacy;  but  the 
mother,  and  not  the  father,  becomes  the  interpreter  of  the 
boy's  best  impulses.  Father  is  good,  but  he  does  not  under 
stand.  The  boy  shares  his  hopes  with  his  mother,  and  she  keeps 
all  these  things  in  her  heart,  as  mothers  do,  and  ponders  them. 

It  is  the  ambition  of  the  average  American  man  to  create 
for  his  wife  a  leisure  which  he  does  not  share,  and  for  his  son 
an  opportunity  greater  than  his  own.  American  fathers  are 
not  ungenerous  as  a  rule.  Nevertheless,  cases  are  not  few 
in  which  the  wife  has  received  the  better  education,  has  kept 
up  her  reading,  and  encourages  her  son  in  ambitions  to  which 
the  father  is  almost  a  stranger. 

It  is  easy  to  understand  that  in  the  home  of  Thomas  Lin- 


290    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

coin,  situated  as  it  was  declared  by  Lincoln  to  have  been,  in  a 
region  in  which  "  There  was  absolutely  nothing  to  excite  am 
bition  for  education,"  as  he  wrote  to  Jesse  W.  Fell,  it  was 
hardly  to  have  been  expected  that  Thomas  and  Abraham  Lin 
coln  would  have  lived  together  for  twenty-one  years  in  com 
plete  sympathy. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  known  that  they  quarreled, 
and  Abraham  does  not  appear  to  have  cherished  toward  his 
father  any  deep  resentment  or  personal  hatred.  On  the  con 
trary,  what  evidence  we  have  of  his  feeling  toward  his  father, 
indicates  that  he  cared  for  him  as  much  as  could  reasonably 
have  been  expected  under  all  conditions. 

After  Abraham  Lincoln  was  of  age,  and  might  have  claimed 
his  own  time,  and  was  eager  for  his  freedom,  he  remained 
with  his  father  long  enough  to  see  him  established  in  his  new 
home  in  Illinois,  and  thereafter  he  sent  him  money  as  long  as 
he  lived.  Lamon,  who  does  his  best  to  make  his  readers  think 
that  Abe  cared  little  for  his  father,  says  that  the  remittances 
were  sent  to  his  step-mother.  This  probably  is  true.  She  was 
the  more  literary  of  the  two,  and  money  sent  to  her  should 
have  been  safer  than  if  sent  to  Thomas,  for  she  was  likely  to 
spend  it  for  necessities;  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  her  son 
John  did  not  coax  the  most  of  it  away  from  her.  Lamon 
says: 

"  As  soon  as  Abraham  got  up  a  little  in  the  world,  he  began 
to  send  his  step-mother  money,  and  continued  to  do  so  until 
his  own  death ;  but  it  is  said  to  have  '  done  her  no  good/  for 
it  only  served  to  tempt  certain  persons  about  her,  and  with 
whom  she  shared  it,  to  continue  in  a  life  of  idleness." — 
LAMON  :  Life  of  Lincoln,  p.  76. 

Abraham  did,  however,  give  and  send  money  direct 
to  his  father.  When  Lincoln  was  on  his  circuit  he  repeatedly 
visited  his  father's  home,  and  left  money,  and  he  was  im 
portuned  by  his  father  from  time  to  time  to  send  him  more. 
So  far  as  is  known,  he  invariably  did  so. 

The  most  damaging  answer  to  the  question  whether  Abra 
ham  Lincoln  honored  his  father,  has  been  given  by  Lamon  in 
his  Life  of  Lincoln,  in  a  letter  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  dated 


DID  LINCOLN  HONOR  HIS  FATHER?     291 

Washington,  December  24,  1848,  in  which  he  appears  to  ques 
tion  his  father's  veracity;  and  Lamon  does  not  hesitate  to 
call  attention  to  the  fact.  The  letter  is  as  follows: 

WASHINGTON,  Dec.  24th,  1848. 
MY  DEAR  FATHER: 

Your  letter  of  the  7th  was  received  night  before  last.  I 
very  cheerfully  send  you  the  twenty  dollars,  which  sum  you 
say  is  necessary  to  save  your  land  from  sale.  It  is  singular 
that  you  should  have  forgotten  a  judgment  against  you;  and 
it  is  more  singular  that  the  plaintiff  should  have  let  you  forget 
it  so  long,  particularly  as  I  suppose  you  have  always  had 
property  enough  to  satisfy  a  judgment  of  that  amount.  Be 
fore  you  pay  it,  it  would  be  well  to  be  sure  that  you  have  not 
paid  it;  or,  at  least,  that  you  cannot  prove  you  have  paid  it. 
Give  my  love  to  Mother,  and  all  the  connections. 
Affectionately  your  son, 

A.  LINCOLN. 

The  implication  appears  a  fair  one.  Abraham  Lincoln,  in 
receipt  of  a  piteous  appeal  from  his  father  to  send  him  twenty 
dollars  to  save  his  land  from  being  sold  under  judgment,  sent 
the  money,  but  did  not  believe  that  the  land  was  in  danger  of 
being  sold  under  judgment.  Did  Abraham  Lincoln  believe 
Thomas  Lincoln  a  liar? 

I  did  not  know  the  answer  to  this  question  until  Mr.  W.  K. 
Bixby  of  St.  Louis  who  had  owned  the  original  letter  presented 
me  a  photographic  fac-simile  of  it. 

This  letter  occupies  the  first  fifteen  lines  on  the  first  page 
of  a  four-page  letter  sheet,  and  below  it  and  on  the  following 
pages  is  Abraham  Lincoln's  letter  to  his  step-brother,  John  D. 
Johnston.  Lamon  had  both  these  letters,  or  copies  of  them, 
and  printed  them  both,  but  not  together.  Their  significance 
is  in  the  fact  that  they  were  written  on  the  same  sheet.  The 
letter  to  Johnston  as  Lamon  says,  makes  Johnston  an  inti 
mate  acquaintance  of  the  reader;  but  the  acquaintance  is  made 
more  intimate  by  the  knowledge,  which  Lamon  withheld,  if 
indeed  he  knew  it,  that  the  two  letters  are  virtually  one.  The 
second  letter,  without  separate  date  or  post-office,  begins  on  the 
line  below  the  first  signature  of  Abraham  Lincoln: 


292    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

DEAR  JOHNSTON  : 

Your  request  for  eighty  dollars  I  do  not  think  it  best  to 
comply  with  now.  At  the  various  times  when  I  have  helped 
you  a  little  you  have  said  to  me,  "  We  can  get  along  very 
well  now,"  but  in  a  very  short  time  I  find  you  in  the  same 
difficulty  again.  Now  this  can  only  happen  by  some  defect  in 
your  conduct.  What  that  defect  is,  I  think  I  know.  You 
are  not  lazy,  but  you  are  an  idler.  I  doubt  whether  since  I 
saw  you  you  have  done  a  good  whole  day's  work  in  any  one 
day.  You  do  not  very  much  like  to  work,  and  still  you  do 
not  work  much,  merely  because  it  does  not  seem  to  you  that 
you  could  get  very  much  for  it.  This  habit  of  uselessly  wasting 
time,  is  the  whole  difficulty;  and  it  is  vastly  important  to  you, 
and  still  more  so  to  your  children,  that  you  should  break  this 
habit.  It  is  more  important  to  them,  because  they  have  longer 
to  live,  and  can  keep  out  of  an  idle  habit  before  they  are  in 
it  easier  than  they  can  get  out  after  they  are  in. 

You  are  now  in  need  of  some  ready  money;  and  what  I 
propose  is,  that  you  shall  go  to  work  "  tooth  and  nail  "  for 
somebody  who  will  give  you  money  for  it.  Let  father  and 
your  boys  take  charge  of  things  at  home — prepare  for  a  crop 
and  make  the  crop;  and  you  go  to  work  for  the  best  money 
wages,  or  in  discharge  of  any  debt  you  owe,  that  you  can  get. 
And  to  secure  you  a  fair  reward  for  your  labor,  I  now  promise 
you  that  for  every  dollar  you  will,  between  this  and  the  first  of 
next  May,  get  for  your  own  labor  either  in  money  or  in  your 
own  indebtedness,  I  will  then  give  you  one  other  dollar.  By 
this,  if  you  hire  yourself  at  ten  dollars  a  month,  from  me 
you  will  get  ten  more,  making  twenty  dollars  a  month  for 
your  work.  In  this  I  do  not  mean  that  you  shall  go  off  to  St. 
Louis  or  the  lead  mines,  or  to  the  gold  mines,  in  California,  but 
I  mean  for  you  to  go  at  it  for  the  best  wages  you  can  get  close 
at  home,  in  Coles  County.  Now  if  you  will  do  this,  you  will 
soon  be  out  of  debt,  and  what  is  better,  you  will  have  a  habit 
that  will  keep  you  from  getting  in  debt  again.  But  if  I  should 
now  clear  you  out,  next  year  you  will  be  just  as  deep  as  ever. 
You  say  you  would  almost  give  your  place  in  Heaven  for  $70 
or  $80.  Then  you  value  your  place  in  Heaven  very  cheaply, 
for  I  am  sure  you  can  with  the  offer  I  make  you  get  the 
seventy  or  eighty  dollars  for  four  or  five  months'  work.  You 
say  if  I  furnish  you  the  money  you  will  deed  me  the  land,  and 


DID  LINCOLN  HONOR  HIS  FATHER?    293 

if  you  don't  pay  the  money  back,  you  will  deliver  possession — 
Nonsense!  If  you  can't  now  live  with  the  land  how  will  you 
then  live  without  it?  You  have  always  been  kind  to  me,  and  I 
do  not  mean  to  be  unkind  to  you.  On  the  contrary,  if  you  will 
but  follow  my  advice,  you  will  find  it  worth  more  than  eight 
times  eighty  dollars  to  you. 

Affectionately  your  brother, 

A.  LINCOLN. 

Now  we  know  the  whole  story.  Abraham  Lincoln  knew 
that  Johnston  was  the  author  of  both  requests,  the  eighty 
dollars  for  himself  and  the  twenty  dollars  for  Thomas  Lin 
coln.  Abraham  sent  the  latter  sum,  though  showing  plainly 
that  he  was  not  deceived  by  the  hard-luck  story  which  accom 
panied  the  request,  a  story  doubtless  written  by  Johnston,  to 
which  Thomas  Lincoln  may  have  "  bunglingly  signed  his 
name." 

I  am  not  aware  that  any  writer  has  discovered  the  fact, 
or  in  any  event  the  significance  of  the  fact,  that  Abraham  Lin 
coln's  letter  of  December  24,  1848,  to  his  father,  was  on  the 
same  sheet  with  a  letter  to  Johnston,  and  was  virtually  a  part 
of  the  same  letter.  Certainly  Nicolay  and  Hay  had  no  sense 
of  this  relation.  They  printed  the  two  letters  separated  by  a 
considerable  space  in  time  and  in  book  pagination,  and  as  this 
leaves  the  Johnston  letter  without  a  date,  they  supplied  the 
conjectural  date,  January  2,  1851,  which  is  a  very  bad  guess, 
as  will  be  seen  by  their  Abraham  Lincoln:  Complete  Works, 
two  volume  edition;  volume  I,  pages  147,  164-5;  an^  the 
Gettysburg  edition,  twelve  volumes,  volume  II,  pages  96,  144- 
146.  This  date,  which  Nicolay  and  Hay  supplied  as  con 
jectural,  other  compilations  took  over  from  them  without  ques 
tion,  as  in  the  Putnam  Edition,  volume  II,  and  also  in  the 
Current  Literature  edition  of  the  Life  and  Works  of  Abra 
ham  Lincoln;  Letters,  volume  II. 

So  far  as  the  letter  to  Johnston  is  concerned,  the  date  is  not 
very  important;  but  as  affording  the  basis  of  an  interpretation 
of  the  spirit  of  Lincoln's  letter  to  his  father,  and  his  alleged 
belief  that  his  father  was  not  telling  him  the  truth,  the  date  is 
of  very  great  importance ;  and  the  fact  that  the  two  letters  were 


294     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

written  on  one  sheet  shows  that  Lincoln  knew  who  was  lying, 
and  that  he  wanted  Johnston  to  know  that  he  knew. 

Lincoln's  letter  to  his  father  was  all  that  under  the  cir 
cumstances  it  ought  to  be,  and  he  was  generous  in  sending  the 
money,  which,  as  we  know  from  other  sources,  Abraham  more 
than  suspected  Johnston  would  be  likely  to  share.  His  offer 
to  Johnston  was  more  than  generous,  and  his  letter  was  in 
every  way  admirable. 

We  must  remember  that  at  this  period  Lincoln  himself 
was  under  a  heavy  strain.  He  was  just  paying  the  last  of  his 
"  national  debt "  that  had  been  a  millstone  about  his  neck  ever 
since  the  days  of  his  disastrous  merchandizing  at  New  Salem. 
He  already  knew  that  he  was  not  to  return  to  Congress,  and 
he  needed  all  his  money,  but  he  was  generous  with  it. 

My  impression  is  that  at  this  time  members  of  Congress 
were  paid  a  per  diem,  and  that  it  then  was,  or  later  was  in 
creased  to  be,  eight  dollars  a  day.  In  my  boyhood,  which 
was  long  after  the  time  of  this  correspondence,  I  heard  a 
song  like  this: 

"  In  Washington  full  once  a  year 

Do  politicians  throng, 
Contriving  there  by  various  arts 

To  make  their  session  long; 
And  many  a  reason  do  they  give 

Why  there  obliged  to  stay, 
But  the  clearest  reason  yet  adduced 

Is  eight  dollars  a  day." 

To  John  D.  Johnston  eight  dollars  a  day  seemed  the 
zenith  of  affluence,  and  its  possessor  a  plutocrat  to  be  plucked 
and  plundered,  and  he  was  more  skilled  in  devising  ways  of 
making  Abraham  divide  his  wealth  than  he  was  in  producing 
an  honest  living  fo;r  himself  and  his  children.  These  letters 
appear  to  have  been  both  wise  and  generous.  They  afford  no 
reason  for  the  conclusion  that  Abraham  Lincoln  did  not  honor 
his  father,  but  they  show  that  he  was  magnanimous  and  at  the 
same  time  discriminating  toward  his  indolent  step-brother. 

A  family  that  has  always  lived  upon  a  farm  in  conditions 
far  from  market,  where  very  nearly  everything  eaten  and 
worn  is  produced  upon  the  land,  handles  very  little  money,  and 


DID  LINCOLN  HONOR  HIS  FATHER?    295 

has  a  distorted  notion  of  the  value  of  money.  Thomas  Lincoln 
probably  seldom  handled  two  hundred  dollars  of  actual  cash  in 
a  year.  When  Abraham  moved  to  Springfield,  and  received 
fees  of  twenty  dollars  for  a  day's  work  in  court,  and  sometimes 
took  in  as  much  as  an  hundred  dollars  in  a  single  month,  his 
relatives  could  have  no  real  measure  of  his  prosperity.  How 
could  they  understand  that  that  very  year,  1848,  in  which  this 
twenty  dollars  was  requested,  was  that  to  whose  close  Abra 
ham  was  looking  forward  with  hope  long  deferred,  of  paying 
the  last  of  his  "  national  debt "  incurred  while  he  sold  goods 
at  New  Salem? 

It  appears  to  be  true  that  Lincoln  neglected  the  graves  of 
both  his  father  and  his  mother;  that  the  grave  of  Nancy  Hanks 
was  not  marked  until  1879,  when  Mr.  P.  E.  Studebaker  of 
South  Bend,  Indiana,  erected  a  suitable  marble  slab  above  it; 
and  that  the  grave  of  his  father  was  visited  by  him  in  Febru 
ary  of  1 86 1,  at  which  time  he  made,  and  promptly  forgot,  a 
promise  to  erect  a  stone  above  it. 

With  reference  to  this  it  must  be  said  that  the  grave  of 
Nancy  Hanks  shared  the  fate  of  all  graves  in  that  part  of  the 
wilderness  at  that  time.  There  probably  was  no  marble  slab 
within  many  miles  of  Gentryville.  As  to  his  father's  grave, 
it  must  be  admitted  that  Lincoln  lacked  appreciation  of  situa 
tions  which  were  out  of  sight,  and  when  he  was  away  from  his 
father's  grave  it  was  easy  for  him  to  forget  it.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  must  be  remembered  that  while  Mr.  Lincoln  had  ac 
cumulated  some  money  prior  to  the  campaign  of  1860,  he  had 
to  borrow  money  to  go  to  Washington  for  his  inauguration, 
and  that  the  extravagance  of  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  other  causes 
kept  him  constantly  in  debt,  so  that  he  died  in  arrears.  He 
may  have  hoped  from  month  to  month  that  next  month  he 
would  have  a  little  spare  money,  and  so  have  neglected  it  till 
it  passed  from  mind  as  a  duty  requiring  immediate  attention. 
He  ought  not  to  have  forgotten;  but  the  fact  that  he  did  so 
does  not  of  necessity  imply  that  he  did  not  honor  his  father. 

It  is  true  that  Abraham  Lincoln,  did  not  go  to  see  his 
father  when  the  latter  was  dying.  There  was  sickness  in  his 
own  home,  and  he  also  said  frankly  that  it  was  doubtful 


296    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

whether  if  he  could  go  it  would  be  more  pleasant  than  painful. 
But  it  is  also  true  that  he  wrote  insisting  that  his  father  should 
have  every  attention,  and  that  no  medical  or  other  care  should 
be  lacking;  and  the  tone  in  which  he  wrote  concerning  faith 
and  the  life  to  come  implies  not  only  that  he  had  a  sincere 
religious  faith  of  his  own,  but  that  he  honored  his  father's 
religion.  This  is  not  the  kind  of  letter  Abraham  Lincoln 
would  have  written  to  a  man  whom  he  believed  to  be  a  hypo 
crite.  The  letter  is  addressed  to  John  D.  Johnston: 

SPRINGFIELD,  Jan.  12,  1851. 

DEAR  BROTHER:  On  the  day  before  yesterday  I  received  a 
letter  from  Harriet,  written  at  Greenup.  She  says  she  has  just 
returned  from  your  house,  and  that  father  is  very  low  and  will 
hardly  recover.  She  also  says  that  you  have  written  me  two 
letters,  and  that,  although  you  do  not  expect  me  to  come  now, 
you  wonder  that  I  do  not  write.  I  received  both  your  letters; 
and  although  I  have  not  answered  them,  it  is  not  because  I  have 
forgotten  them,  or  not  been  interested  about  them,  but  be 
cause  it  appeared  to  me  that  I  could  write  nothing  which  could 
do  any  good.  You  already  know  I  desire  that  neither  father 
nor  mother  shall  be  in  want  of  any  comfort,  either  in  health  or 
sickness,  while  they  live;  and  I  feel  sure  you  have  not  failed  to 
use  my  name,  if  necessary,  to  procure  a  doctor  or  anything  else 
for  father  in  his  present  sickness.  My  business  is  such  that 
I  could  hardly  leave  home  now,  if  it  were  not,  as  it  is,  that  my 
wife  is  sick  abed.  (It  is  a  case  of  baby-sickness,  and  I  suppose 
is  not  dangerous.)  I  sincerely  hope  father  may  yet  recover  his 
health;  but,  at  all  events,  tell  him  to  remember  and  call  upon 
and  confide  in  our  great  and  good  and  merciful  Maker,  who 
will  not  turn  from  him  in  any  extremity.  He  notes  the  fall 
of  a  sparrow,  and  numbers  the  hairs  of  our  heads;  and  He  will 
not  forget  the  dying  man  who  puts  his  trust  in  Him.  Say  to 
him,  that  if  we  could  meet  now,  it  is  doubtful  whether  it  would 
not  be  more  painful  than  pleasant;  but  that,  if  it  be  his  lot  to 
go  now,  he  will  soon  have  a  joyous  meeting  with  loved  ones 
gone  before,  and  where  the  rest  of  us,  through  the  help  of  God, 
hope  ere  long  to  join  him. 

Write  me  again  when  you  receive  this. 

Affectionately, 

A.  LINCOLN. 


DID  LINCOLN  HONOR  HIS  FATHER?     297 

Such  evidence  as  is  before  us  justifies  the  conclusion  that, 
while  Abraham  in  his  youth  smarted  under  the  restraints  of 
a  lazy  and  spasmodically  exacting  and  more  or  less  unsym 
pathetic  father,  he  did  not  fail  either  then  or  afterward  to 
yield  to  him  a  large  measure  of  sincere  respect.  There  is  no 
evidence  of  hostility  or  hatred  or  contempt,  but  on  the  con 
trary,  a  large  degree  of  thoughtful  consideration  which  con 
tinued  to  the  end  of  his  father's  life.  A  more  ardent  love 
could  be  imagined,  but  filial  duty  and  honor  were  not  lacking. 

We  have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  Thomas  Lincoln  was 
ever  despised  in  any  community  in  which  he  lived.  Far  back 
in  Kentucky,  when  he  was  very  poor,  Miss  Tarbell  found,  and 
recorded  in  her  Early  Life  of  Lincoln  book  accounts  which 
showed  that  he  had  local  credit,  and  that  he  paid  his  debts. 
His  reputation  there  cannot  have  been  bad,  for  he  went  directly 
back  in  quest  of  his  second  wife,  who  knew  all  about  him. 
Lamon  records,  on  the  authority  of  Dennis  Hanks,  that  her 
own  judgment  and  heart  were  assisted  by  the  advice  of  her 
male  relatives,  with  some  of  whom  Thomas  Lincoln  had  made 
journeys  to  New  Orleans.  If  Sarah  Bush  who  knew  what  the 
women  said  about  him.  and  her  male  friends  who  "  all  liked 
Lincoln  "  were  in  accord,  the  fact  speaks  well  for  Thomas 
Lincoln. 

In  a  word,  there  is  no  reason  to  credit  an  otherwise  un 
proved  story  of  bastardy  to  account  for  whatever  we  know 
of  lack  of  sympathy  between  Thomas  and  Abraham  Lincoln. 
We  understand  the  situation  well  enough  to  be  rather  well 
satisfied  with  what  we  learn  of  the  relations  between  them. 
If  they  were  not  those  of  ardent  affection,  they  were  those  of 
mutual  regard;  on  the  side  of  Thomas  it  is  to  be  remembered 
that,  though  at  the  instance  of  Sarah,  his  wife,  he  did  not 
forbid  Abraham  to  study;  on  the  side  of  Abraham  it  is  to  be 
remembered  that  he  did  a  son's  duty  to  the  end. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 
DID  LINCOLN  HONOR  HIS  MOTHER? 

SOME  of  Lincoln's  references  to  his  mother  appear  to  have 
been  intended  for  Sarah  Bush.  Between  him  and  her  existed 
a  strong  bond  of  sympathy  which  lasted  on  his  side  during  his 
life  and  on  her  part  after  he  had  gone.  Herndon  did  valu 
able  service  in  giving  to  posterity  his  interview  with  her  in 
1866.  It  showed  an  affection  on  her  part  for  Abraham 
and  on  Abraham's  for  her  which  is  worthy  of  all  admira 
tion. 

But  some  of  Lincoln's  references  to  his  mother  cannot 
refer  to  Sarah  Bush.  When  Lincoln  said  to  Herndon,  "  God 
bless  my  mother;  all  that  I  am,  or  ever  hope  to  be,  I  owe  to 
her,"  he  certainly  did  not  refer  to  Sarah  Bush;  for  that  was 
the  conversation  in  which  he  confided  to  Herndon  his  belief 
that  his  mother  was  the  illegitimate  daughter  of  a  Virginia 
planter  of  good  family,  and  that  he  had  inherited  through 
this  unnamed  grandfather  the  qualities  that  distinguished 
him. 

So  far  forth,  therefore,  we  know  that  Lincoln  held  the 
memory  of  his  mother  in  honor.  And  there  are  other  refer 
ences  to  his  mother  which  may,  at  least,  refer  to  her.  All  his 
allusions  to  his  "  mother,"  whether  intended  for  Nancy  Hanks 
or  Sarah  Bush,  are  affectionate.  He  remembered  both  mothers 
with  tender  regard. 

The  story  has  been  told  that  the  boy  Abraham,  sad  to 
think  that  his  mother  should  have  been  buried  without  re 
ligious  service,  procured  the  attendance  of  Rev.  David  Elkin 
to  preach  her  funeral  sermon  some  months  after  the  burial. 
In  another  book  the  author  has  dealt  with  this  story.1  The 
truth  is  that  it  was  not  the  custom  among  the  people  to  whom 

1  See  The  Soul  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  by  William  E.  Barton.  George 
H.  Doran  Company,  New  York. 

208 


DID  LINCOLN  HONOR  HIS  MOTHER?    299 

the  Lincolns  belonged  to  have  the  funeral  at  the  time  of 
burial.  There  was  nothing  unusual  about  the  funeral  of 
Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln. 

In  the  state  of  society  in  which  Lincoln  was  born  and  spent 
his  youth,  there  was  little  pride  of  family.  In  the  backwoods 
of  Kentucky  and  Indiana  "  kin  and  kin  in  law  did  not  count  a 
cuss."  If  there  was  a  stain  on  the  family  escutcheon,  it  did 
not  carry  the  disgrace  which  attached  to  the  bar  sinister  in 
some  conditions  of  life.  It  was  recognized  that  "  Accidents 
will  happen,  in  the  best  regulated  families;  "  and  when  they 
happened,  the  best  possible  was  made  of  them.  If  one  or  more 
of  the  Hanks  sisters  gave  birth  to  a  baby  before  she  was  mar 
ried,  that  was  recognized  as  an  undesirable  situation.  But 
there  was  no  hiding  of  it.  She  had  no  opportunity  to  go  away 
to  a  hospital,  under  pretense  of  visiting  relations  in  the  city, 
and  having  her  child  cared  for  by  a  foundlings*  home.  In 
the  backwoods,  the  babies  which  the  family  "  sorter  fell  heir 
to  "  were  taken  in  and  kept  and  brought  up  with  the  other 
children.  They  knew  and  felt  a  difference  between  them  and 
other  children,  but  they  were  not  disinherited.  The  mother 
felt  the  disgrace,  but  it  was  not  always  a  hopeless  disgrace. 
Dennis  Hanks  was  born  before  his  mother  was  married;  but 
she  married,  and  behaved  herself,  and  had  other  children,  and 
Dennis  grew  up  happy  and  by  no  means  crushed  by  the  mis 
fortune  of  his  birth.  He  married,  and  his  children  married 
well,  and  are  not  ashamed  of  their  name. 

Whether  there  is  more  or  less  immorality  in  primitive  set 
tlements  than  in  more  refined  society,  the  author  does  not 
care  to  discuss;  he  has  seen  and  knows  both  sorts.  But  that 
in  primitive  society  is  the  more  frank  and  honest.  It  is  often 
unmoral  rather  than  deliberately  immoral. 

We  know  more  or  less  about  the  relatives  of  Nancy 
Hanks, — her  half-sisters  and  her  cousins  and  her  aunts.  They 
were  women  of  a  primitive  type,  nor  lacking  in  fine  qualities; 
and  if  they  were  any  of  them  weak  and  primitive  in  their  pas 
sion,  they  were  not  degenerate. 

The  Lincolns  and  Hankses  were  not  abnormal  people. 
They  were  fair  specimens  of  a  large  part  of  the  population 


300    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

flowing  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century  from  Ken 
tucky  into  Indiana  and  Southern  Illinois. 

But  if  Gentry ville  had  little  place  or  occasion  for  pride 
of  family,  the  same  was  not  true  of  New  Salem,  where  the 
Rutledges  felt  themselves  to  be  representatives  of  the  finest 
families  of  South  Carolina.  Lincoln  could  not  contemplate 
marrying  Ann  Rutledge  without  considering  the  relative  stand 
ing  of  the  Rutledges  with  their  record  stretching  back  to 
colonial  days,  and  always  with  honor,  and  the  Lincolns  and 
Hankses.  When  he  arrived  in  Springfield  the  situation  was 
worse.  There  he  met  men  whose  ancestors  came  over  on  the 
Mayflower,  and  others  who  claimed  descent  from  the  First 
Families  of  Virginia.  When  he  wrote  his  little  biography  for 
campaign  purposes,  and  told  how  he  came  of  Virginia's  "  sec 
ond  families,"  he  knew  the  difference  between  the  patricians 
of  Virginia  and  the  poor  whites. 

When  he  began  to  think  of  marrying  Mary  Todd,  he  met 
the  same  contrast.  He  had  occasion  to  remember,  as  he  had 
not  had  occasion  in  his  earlier  years,  about  the  privations  of  his 
boyhood,  and  the  low  estate  of  his  family.  He  grew  morbid 
about  it.  He  felt  more  sensitive  than  an  entirely  normal 
man  should  have  felt.  The  memories  of  his  childhood,  which 
had  not  been  intolerable  at  the  time,  grew  painful  in  the 
retrospect. 

But  there  is  no  occasion  to  believe  that  he  ever  despised 
his  mother  or  thought  of  her  otherwise  than  with  affection. 

What  would  Lincoln  have  said  or  thought  if  he  had  be 
lieved  himself  to  have  been  the  son  of  another  and  a  better 
man  than  Thomas  Lincoln?  How  greatly  would  he  have 
blamed  his  mother  for  giving  to  the  world  a  greater  man  than 
Thomas  Lincoln  could  have  begotten  ?  He  read  Shakespeare, 
not  entire,  but  with  interest,  and  he  probably  at  one  time  or 
another  read  King  John.  Would  he  have  said  to  Nancy  Hanks 
what  Bastard  said  to  his  mother,  Lady  Falconbridge  ? 

Bastard.    Madam,  I  was  not  old  Sir  Robert's  son; 

Sir  Robert  could  not  do  it;  we  know  his  handiwork: 
Therefore,  good  mother,  to  whom  am   I  beholden    for  these 

limbs? 
Sir  Robert  never  holp  to  make  this  leg. 


DID  LINCOLN  HONOR  HIS  MOTHER?    301 

Lady  Falconbridge.    King  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion  was  thy  father. 

Bastard.  With  all  my  heart  I  thank  thee  for  my  father; 
Who  lives  and  dares  to  say  thou  did'st  not  well, 
When  I  was  got,  I'll  send  his  soul  to  hell. 

It  would  neither  be  safe  nor  fair  to  accept  the  judgment  of 
Dennis  Hanks  at  its  face  value  on  the  attitude  of  Abraham  Lin 
coln  toward  his  relatives.  It  is  evident  in  the  material  which 
he  furnished  Herndon  that  Dennis  was  no  violet  blushing  to  a 
mossy  stone.  He  charged  Herndon  to  remember  that  his  book 
would  not  be  a  success  unless  it  had  much  in  it  about  Dennis : 

"  I  will  say  this  much  to  you :  if  you  don't  have  my  name 
very  frequently  in  your  book,  it  will  not  go." — LAMON:  Life 
of  Lincoln,  p.  41. 

John  Hanks  has  more  that  commends  him  to  our  high 
regard  than  Dennis,  but  even  he  had  quite  a  sufficiently  exalted 
idea  of  his  own  importance.  Many  years  ago,  an  American 
actor  then  in  Great  Britain,  endeavored  to  write  a  play  about 
him.  It  does  not  appear  to  have  been  a  great  success,  though 
the  same  thing  has  been  done  of  late  by  John  Drinkwater,  and 
the  public  has  received  the  play  with  enthusiasm.  In  this 
earlier  attempt,  the  playwright  obtained  his  material  from  John 
Hanks.  It  is  interesting  for  many  reasons,  one  of  which  is 
that  it  is  difficult  to  tell  who  is  the  real  hero,  John  or  Abraham.2 

We  need  not  be  surprised  that  Dennis  was  somewhat  dis 
appointed  that  Abraham  did  not  distribute  offices  more  freely 
among  the  Hankses,  and  that  Johnston  thought  he  did  not  do 
enough  for  his  parents.  On  the  whole,  even  these  witnesses 
give  Abraham  a  very  good  record. 

In  recalling  the  attitude  of  Abraham  Lincoln  toward  his 
relations,  one  thing  is  to  be  remembered,  and  that  is  that  we 
know  of  these  relations  almost  wholly  through  people  who  were 
disappointed  that  Lincoln  did  not  give  them  office.  Abraham 
Lincoln,  himself  a  persistent  office-seeker,  did  not  like  to  be 
bothered  by  office-seekers,  especially  by  those  who  pleaded 

2  The  Tragedy  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  five  acts.  By  an  American 
artist.  Glasgow:  Published  by  James  Brown  &  Son.  There  is  no  date 
on  the  title  page,  but  the  copyright  is  of  1876.  The  author,  unnamed, 
was  Hiram  D.  Torrie.  It  is  said  that  only  twenty-six  copies  of  this 
pamphlet  are  in  existence,  most  of  them  with  scorched  edges. 


302    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

favors  they  had  done  him,  or  kinship  with  him,  and  whom  he 
knew  to  be  incompetent.  Lamon  was  made  Marshal  of  the 
District  of  Columbia  by  Lincoln,  and  was  kept  in  that  position 
by  him  in  spite  of  protest  in  high  places,  but  there  is  reason 
to  believe  that  Lamon  was  none  too  grateful.  Herndon  is 
alleged  to  have  wanted  an  office,  and  would  not  take  the  one 
which  Lincoln  offered  him.  John  D.  Johnston,  Lincoln's 
worthless  half-brother,  was  ready  for  anything,  and  finally  got 
a  concession  to  make  daguerreotypes  in  the  army,  but  was  not 
satisfied  with  that.  Old  John  Hanks,  who  could  not  read,  was 
an  eager  applicant  for  office.  Dennis  was  ready  for  anything 
from  the  postoffice  at  Farmington  to  a  place  in  the  Cabinet. 

These  people  could  not  very  well  discuss  Lincoln's  rela 
tions  to  his  family  without  some  prejudice.  Yet  they  agree 
in  such  statements  as  are  here  recorded,  and  they  are,  on  the 
whole,  highly  creditable  to  Lincoln. 

When  Dennis  was  asked  about  this  matter,  he  said  that 
in  his  judgment  Lincoln  "  done  more  for  John  Johnston  than 
he  deserved."  He  also  recorded  that  John  did  not  think  Abe 
did  enough  for  the  old  people,  which  is  not  surprising,  con 
sidering  who  got  the  money  that  Abe  sent  to  them. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 
A  FINAL  WORD  ABOUT  HERNDON 

WILLIAM  H.  HERNDON  was  born  in  Greensburg,  Kentucky,  on 
December  28,  1816.  Two  years  later,  his  father,  Archer  G. 
Herndon,  moved  to  Troy,  Madison  County,  Illinois;  and 
thence,  in  1821,  to  Sangamon  County,  to  a  farm  five  miles 
northeast  from  Springfield.  This  was  nine  years  before  the 
Lincolns  came  to  Illinois,  and  while  Chicago  was  a  micro 
scopic  village.  Archer  Herndon  was  active  in  efforts  to  make 
Illinois  a  slave-state;  but  his  son,  William,  imbibed  anti- 
slavery  views  at  Illinois  College,  for  which  reason  his  father 
removed  him  from  that  school  before  the  completion  of  his 
course.  In  1825  Archer  Herndon  moved  to  Springfield,  and 
erected  a  tavern,  which  was  not  good  for  his  son. 

Young  Herndon  first  saw  Lincoln  in  1832,  when  Lincoln 
was  engaged  as  assistant  to  Rowan  Herndon,  a  cousin  of 
William,  as  pilot  of  the  Talisman,  the  famous  little  steamer  on 
the  Sangamon  River.  Many  years  later  he  became  Lincoln's 
partner,  and  continued  in  that  relation  until  Lincoln's  election; 
the  partnership  was  never  formally  dissolved,  and  the  sign 
"  Lincoln  and  Herndon  "  continued  to  adorn  their  office  in 
Springfield  until  the  death  of  Lincoln. 

Herndon  served  as  Mayor  of  Springfield,  a  position  in 
which  Lincoln  had  no  interest;  for  local  politics  never  troubled 
him.  Herndon,  though  a  victim  of  alcohol,  was  an  advocate 
of  temperance,  the  earliest  directory  of  Springfield  showing 
his  name  as  an  officer  in  a  temperance  lodge;  one  of  his 
early  publications,  like  one  of  the  earliest  of  Lincoln,  being  a 
temperance  address.  Herndon  was  counted  an  infidel,  and 
sometimes  accepted  the  term;  but  his  three  daughters,  sepa 
rately,  have  testified  to  me  that  their  father  constantly 
taught  them  reverence  for  God.  He  wrote  to  Theodore 
Parker : 

303 


304    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

"  I  love  and  reverence  religion  with  all  my  whole  soul ;  it 
is  as  deep  in  me  as  my  being." 

Herndon's  study  of  Lincoln  may  be  said  to  have  begun  with 
his  acquaintance  with  the  future  President,  and  it  continued 
until  the  death  of  Herndon.  A  few  days  before  he  died  he 
wrote  to  Horace  White : 

I  am  still  diligently  gathering  well-authenticated  facts  about 
Lincoln.  Many  I  reject,  because  they  are  not  in  harmony  with 
the  fundamental  elements  in  his  nature,  and  because  they  came 
to  me  in  unauthentic  shape.  I  expect  to  continue  gathering 
facts  about  Lincoln  as  long  as  I  live,  and  when  I  go  hence,  the 
reading  world  shall  have  the  manuscripts,  unchanged  and  un 
altered,  just  as  I  took  them  down.  I  think  they  will  be  of 
value  to  mankind  some  time.  I  have  been  at  this  business  since 
1865.  Every  day  I  think  of  some  fact,  and  it  suggests  other 
facts.  The  human  mind  is  a  curious  thing.  I  have  been  sick 
all  winter. 

On  March  14,  1891,  he  died  on  his  farm  five  miles  from 
Springfield,  his  invalid  son  dying  earlier  on  the  same  day. 
His  last  words  were : 

"  I  have  received  my  summons.  I  am  an  over-ripe  sheaf; 
but  I  will  take  the  weaker  one  with  me." 

His  life  possessed  many  contradictions.  He  was  an  ardent 
temperance  man,  and  a  drunkard.  He  was  an  early  and  sin 
cere  Republican,  but  in  his  later  years  affiliated  with  the  Demo 
crats.  He  believed  in  God,  and  had  a  reverent  regard  for  much 
that  was  high  and  noble  in  religion,  but  was  called  and  called 
himself  an  infidel.  He  loved  Lincoln  with  passionate  admira 
tion,  and  is  remembered  as  the  chief  of  sinners  among  Lin 
coln's  detractors. 

Among  all  the  charges  against  him,  none  is  more  bitterly 
alleged,  nor  with  more  color  of  justice,  than  this,  that  he  caused 
the  world  to  doubt  the  honorable  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

In  an  earlier  chapter  I  have  given  the  views  of  William 
H.  Herndon  on  the  paternity  of  Lincoln,  including  not  only 
what  he  published,  but  also  a  short  tract  hitherto  unpublished, 
which  appears  clearly  to  indicate  that  at  the  time  it  was  written 


A  FINAL  WORD  ABOUT  HERNDON    305 

Herndon  believed  Mr.  Lincoln  to  have  been  an  illegitimate 
child.  That  Herndon  held  this  view  is  the  opinion  of  his 
biographer,  Dr.  Joseph  Fort  Newton,  who  says : 

After  a  diligent  search  at  Elizabethtown,  the  county  seat  of 
Hardin  County,  no  record  of  the  marriage  [of  Thomas  Lincoln 
and  Nancy  Hanks]  was  found;  and  no  one  need  be  told  that 
such  a  discrepancy  would  occasion  all  sorts  of  campaign  gos 
sip,  especially  at  a  time  when  the  swarm  of  lies  was  blacker 
than  usual.  When,  in  1865,  Mr.  Herndon  went  to  look  into 
the  matter  for  himself  he  found  no  record,  and  was  assured 
that  there  had  been  no  marriage  at  all;  so  he  concluded  that 
Lincoln,  like  Alexander  Hamilton,  had  been  born  out  of  wed 
lock.  Nor  is  it  easy  to  see,  with  such  a  state  of  facts  before 
him,  how  he  was  much  at  fault;  though,  upon  the  advice  of 
Horace  White,  he  removed  all  hint  of  it  from  the  second  edi 
tion  of  his  biography.  That  is  the  sum  of  the  matter  so  far 
as  Mr.  Herndon  had  anything  to  do  with  it. — Lincoln  and 
Herndon,  pp.  320,  321. 

I  am  convinced  that  there  were  times  when  Herndon  was 
inclined  to  this  view  of  Lincoln's  parentage.  Mr.  Jesse  W. 
Weik  assured  me  that  such  was  not  the  final  opinion  of  Hern 
don;  and  I  was  not  sure  for  a  time  that  Mr.  Weik  was  correct 
in  this  affirmation,  though  he  had  better  opportunity  to  know 
than  any  other  man. 

I  have,  however,  complete  assurance  that  Mr.  Weik  is  cor 
rect  in  this  declaration;  and  that  on  quite  independent  au 
thority.  There  exists  an  important  collection  of  Herndon 
manuscripts  which,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  Mr.  Weik  has  never 
seen,  and  which,  as  I  have  reason  to  believe,  no  biographer  of 
Lincoln  except  myself  has  ever  examined,  which  goes  into  this 
matter  in  detail  much  more  minute  and  particular  than  Hern 
don  ever  went  into  it  in  print.  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  disclose 
the  ownership  of  those  documents,  nor  will  I  answer  inquiries 
by  mail  concerning  them ;  but  to  any  serious  student  who  for  a 
worthy  purpose  desires  to  know  their  content  I  will  show 
copies  which  I  made  with  my  own  hand,  and  will  inform  him 
where  the  originals  are  and  give  him  satisfactory  proof  of  their 
genuineness.  They  are  where  they  are  not  likely  to  be  lost  or 


306    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

burned,  and  where  they  cannot  be  seen  by  the  prurient  or  the 
curious,  but  where  they  are  available  for  the  verification  of  the 
statements  in  this  chapter,  and  for  such  serious  use  as  this 
volume  makes  of  them. 

Let  me  now  be  as  specific  as  I  deem  it  right  to  be,  in  order 
that  I  may  make  a  clear  and  incontestable  statement.  Mr. 
Herndon  at  one  time  had,  or  believed  he  had,  one  more  reason 
than  he  ever  published  for  believing  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
not  the  son  of  Thomas  Lincoln.  This  reason  was  based  upon 
what  he  believed  to  be  a  fact,  and  which,  in  the  very  con 
fidential  letters  and  manuscript  notes  alluded  to,  he  affirms 
with  the  greatest  confidence.  He  does  not  give  the  source  of 
his  information,  and  I  infer  that  it  was  Dennis  Hanks.  For 
myself,  I  should  not  count  this  conclusive  evidence,  and  I  do 
not  think  that  Dennis  gave  it  to  Herndon  with  any  supposition 
that  it  would  be  used  as  the  basis  of  Herndon's  inference,  as  I 
do  not  know  that  Dennis  Hanks  was  the  source  of  Herndon's 
information :  I  am  of  that  opinion  because  I  do  not  think  that 
Herndon  could  have  learned  of  this  particular  fact,  if  it  was  a 
fact,  from  any  other  source.  Certainly  he  did  not  learn  it 
from  Abraham  Lincoln. 

I  learn  from  Herndon's  manuscript  -that  when  Dennis  be 
gan  to  suspect,  from  the  nature  of  Herndon's  questions,  the 
inference  which  Herndon  was  drawing,  he  became  uncom 
municative.  This  interview  with  Dennis  occurred  in  Chicago 
in  1866,  and  Herndon  at  intervals  afterwards  endeavored  to- 
get  Dennis  to  add  to  what  he  there  said.  His  reticence  in 
creased  Herndon's  suspicion.  In  his  notes  covering  these  inter 
views,  and  the  other  rumors  and  suspicions  which  he  had 
gathered  up  to  that  time,  Herndon  wrote :  "  From  all  this  evi 
dence,  Abraham's  legitimacy  may  be  doubted."  This  was 
Herndon's  state  of  mind  in  1866  and  subsequent  years.  He 
later  revised  this  judgment,  as  the  quotations  in  this  chapter 
clearly  show. 

This  fact,  if  it  was  a  fact,  was  circumscribed  by  certain 
limitations;  if  it  occurred  outside  of  certain  geographical  or 
time  limits,  it  weighed  heavily  against  the  legitimacy  of  Abra 
ham  Lincoln;  if,  on  the  other  hand,  it  occurred  within  certain 


A  FINAL  WORD  ABOUT  HERNDON    307 

other  limits,  its  implication  was  the  exact  opposite.  This  fact 
in  itself  was  not  derogatory  to  the  moral  character  of  either 
Thomas  or  Nancy. 

I  trust  I  am  making  clear  the  logical  implications  of  this  al 
leged  fact,  without  betraying  any  indication  of  its  nature.  Its 
nature  was  somewhat  remote,  but  its  implication,  in  the  one 
event  or  the  other,  was  important,  provided  Herndon  was  cor 
rectly  informed. 

I  do  not  wish  to  tell  what  this  fact  was,  because  it  has  never 
been  printed,  and  I  have  no  desire  to  be  the  first  to  print  it; 
indeed,  I  know  of  no  good  reason  why  it  should  ever  be 
printed.  But  if  Dennis  told  it  to  Herndon,  I  am  confident 
that  Dennis  did  it  without  himself  drawing  any  such  inference 
from  it  as  Herndon  drew  or  supposing  such  an  inference  from 
it  to  have  been  possible ;  and  I  am  not  convinced  that  Dennis, 
if  it  was  Dennis  who  told  it,  was  correct.  For  these  suffi 
ciently  good  reasons  I  do  not  state,  nor  mean  to  suggest,  the 
nature  of  this  fact,  or  alleged  fact. 

There  was  a  time  when  this  alleged  fact,  in  addition  to  such 
other  facts  as  Herndon  knew  or  thought  he  knew,  inclined 
him  to  the  belief  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  a  bastard.  /  am 
able  to  state  unqualifiedly  that  this  was  not  Ms  final  view. 
By  a  process  of  reasoning  which  I  cannot  here  reproduce,  but 
which  lies  before  me  in  the  copy  which  I  made  from  his  own 
handwriting,  he  came  to  believe  that  the  preponderance  of 
evidence  was  in  favor  of  that  interpretation  of  this  alleged 
fact  which  supported  the  legitimacy  of  Abraham  Lincoln  in 
stead  of  disproving  it.  He  wrote  thus  as  his  deliberate  opinion, 
and  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  he  never  .altered  it : 

"  It  was — it  is  still  charged  that  Abm.  Lincoln  was  the  son 
of  one  Enlow.  My  own  opinion  after  a  searching  examina 
tion  is  that  Mrs.  Lincoln  (Nancy  Hanks)  was  not  a  bad 
woman,  was  by  nature  a  noble  woman.  My  own  opinion  is 
that  Abraham  Lincoln  is  the  son  and  heir  of  Thomas  Lincoln 
and  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln.  I  admit  all  things  are  not  per 
fectly  clear  to  me,  and  yet  I  think  that  the  weight  of  the  testi 
mony  is  in  my  favor  on  both  these  grounds." 

By  "  both  these  grounds  "  he  meant  the  grounds  of  the 


308    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

argument  on  which,  by  two  converging  lines  of  investigation, 
he  had  arrived  at  this  conclusion. 

This  conclusion  was  written  subsequent  to  the  little  tract 
which  is  quoted  in  the  earlier  chapter. 

Those  persons,  therefore,  who  have  been  disposed  to  be 
lieve  that  Lincoln  was  illegitimate  because  they  believed  his 
partner  Herndon  to  have  believed  it,  are  at  liberty  to  revise 
their  judgment  as  Herndon  did.  During  the  last  seven  or  eight 
years  of  his  life,  whatever  he  may  have  thought  before,  Hern 
don  believed  Abraham  Lincoln  to  have  been  the  legitimate  child 
of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln.  There  is  no  possible 
escape  from  this  view  unless  there  be  in  existence  somewhere 
documentary  proof  that  Herndon  again  revised  his  opinion, 
and  this  I  do  not  only  not  believe,  but  am  confident  that  I 
have  proof  that  there  was  no  such  change  of  opinion  by  Hern 
don.  The  discovery  of  the  marriage  return  was  an  important 
element  in  the  changed  view  of  Herndon,  and  there  was  at 
least  one  other  reason.  The  mature  and  final  opinion  of 
William  H.  Herndon,  "  after  a  searching  investigation,"  was 
that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  the  child  of  Thomas  Lincoln  and 
Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln,  born  in  lawful  wedlock;  and  that 
all  previous  opinions  to  the  contrary,  either  his  own  or  Mr. 
Lincoln's,  were  erroneous.  I  am  in  position  to  substantiate 
this  affirmation  concerning  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Herndon.  He 
is  henceforth  not  to  be  quoted  among  those  who  denied,  but 
among  those  who  believed,  in  the  legitimacy  of  Abraham 
Lincoln. 

I  am  able  to  state  also  that  Herndon's  literary  associate, 
Mr.  Jesse  W.  Weik,  is  unqualified  in  his  affirmation  that  he 
believes  Abraham  Lincoln  to  have  been  the  legitimate  son  of 
Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln. 

Incidentally  I  may  mention  that  I  have  found  evidence  in 
Mr.  Herndon's  unpublished  manuscripts  that  he  encountered 
the  report  that  some  man  or  men  living  at  the  time  of  his 
investigations  declared  that  he  or  they  had  had  intercourse 
with  Nancy  Hanks.  So  far  as  I  am  able  to  judge  he  did  not 
personally  meet  this  man  or  these  men,  for  he  does  not  name 
the  man  or  men  or  give  such  details  as  he  was  accustomed  to 


A  FINAL  WORD  ABOUT  HERNDON    309 

record  in  such  instances.  He  did  not  credit  the  report.  He 
remembered  that  there  was  another  Nancy  Hanks,  mother  of 
Dennis,  and  thought  if  there  was  any  truth  in  these  statements, 
it  was  more  likely  to  have  been  true  of  the  other  Nancy  than 
of  the  mother  of  the  President.  The  report  as  a  whole  did  not 
appear  to  him  to  be  worthy  of  credence.  It  deserves  only  such 
attention  as  belongs  to  the  allegation  of  a  senile  and  unclean 
imagination.  The  unnamed  old  blackguard  who  recalled  from 
his  misspent  youth  the  alleged  memory  of  such  an  incident 
may  without  any  great  risk  be  assumed  to  have  been  a  liar 
as  well  as  the  doer  of  other  ill  deeds. 

One  story  which  Herndon  heard  in  Kentucky  from  men 
whom  he  thought  he  could  believe,  and  whom  he  did  believe, 
was  that,  "  Old  Abe  Enlow  always  claimed  that  Abe  Lincoln 
was  his  child."  This  was  stated  with  complete  confidence, 
and  Herndon  felt  that  he  must  accept  it  as  true  that  Enlow 
made  that  claim.  That  did  not  in  itself  prove  that  the  claim 
was  true,  but  it  was  a  thing  that  Herndon  recorded  in  his 
private  notes,  and  it  had  weight  with  him. 

I  am  able  to  state  with  confidence  that  Herndon  was  mis 
informed.  Abraham  Enlow  never  claimed  that  Abraham  Lin 
coln  was  his  child.  He  claimed  that  the  boy  was  named  for 
him  on  account  of  his  going  for  the  midwife  or  granny-woman, 
and  because  of  the  kindness  of  his  family  to  the  Lincolns  at  the 
time  of  the  boy's  birth.  The  rest  of  the  story  is  a  lie. 

Further,  I  have  learned  definitely  that  it  was  Herndon  who 
heard,  and  told  Lamon,  about  the  fight  between  Abe  Enlow 
and  Thomas  Lincoln.  As  Herndon  did  not  print  this  in  his 
own  book,  I  thought  that  Lamon  obtained  his  information 
from  another  source.  I  now  know  that  this  was  a  mistake. 
Herndon  heard  the  story  and  told  it  to  Lamon ;  and  Herndon 
was  misinformed.  There  was  no  such  fight  between  those  two 
men. 

In  my  own  investigations  I  have  not  discovered  any  such 
testimony  that  seemed  worthy  of  a  moment's  attention;  and 
Herndon  held  much  the  same  opinion. 

I  have  talked  this  matter  over  in  full  with  Hon.  Hardin 
W.  Masters  of  Springfield,  who  knew  Herndon  intimately, 


310    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

who  talked  with  him  innumerable  times  about  Lincoln,  and 
who  was  chosen  by  the  Herndon  family  to  deliver  the  oration 
at  the  dedication  of  the  monument  to  Herndon.  I  have  talked 
with  Hon.  G.  W.  Murray,  who  was  Herndon's  law-partner 
in  Herndon's  last  years.  These  men  assure  me  most  positively 
that  Herndon  never  receded  from  this  opinion.  He  died  be 
lieving  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  the  legitimate  son  of 
Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln. 

I  greatly  desire  that  the  full  significance  of  this  disclosure 
of  the  final  opinion  of  Herndon  shall  have  its  full  force  in 
the  mind  of  the  reader.  The  first  man  to  suggest  in  print  that 
Lincoln  was  illegitimate  was  Lamon,  and  his  authority  was 
Herndon.  I  am  confident  that  I  am  correct  in  my  opinion 
that  what  Herndon  furnished  to  Lamon  was  virtually, 
and  probably  exactly,  a  copy  of  the  four-paged  tract  which  I 
have  quoted.  I  have  found  to  a  certainty  that  it  was  Lamon's 
book  that  started  the  discussion  at  the  Atherton  distillery  that 
led  to  the  discovery  of  the  marriage  record  of  Thomas  and 
Nancy  Lincoln.  Lamon's  book,  and  Herndon's,  are  the  basis 
of  the  Coleman  pamphlet,  and,  except  for  its  North  Carolina 
local  color,  of  Cathey's  book. 

Here,  then,  is  the  deliberate  and  final  opinion  of  the  man 
on  the  basis  of  whose  mistaken  and  immature  judgment,  these 
reports  got  into  print,  and  grew  to  such  volume : 

"  MY  OWN  OPINION,  AFTER  A  SEARCHING  EXAMI 
NATION,    IS    THAT    MRS.    LINCOLN    (NANCY    HANKS) 

WAS  NOT  A  BAD  WOMAN WAS  BY  NATURE  A  NOBLE 

WOMAN FREE,  EASY  AND  UNSUSPECTING.      MY  OWN 

OPINION  IS  THAT  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  IS  THE  SON  AND 
HEIR  OF  THOMAS  AND  NANCY  HANKS  LINCOLN." 

Did  Herndon  ever  change  this  opinion?  I  have  shown 
that  his  friends  did  not  believe  that  he  changed  it.  I  have 
further  evidence  in  the  unpublished  manuscripts,  which  I  have 
copied,  and  which  continue  until  a  few  days  before  his  death, 
some  of  them  written  while  he  was  sick  and  making  mention 
of  his  illness.  These  manuscripts  in  places  show  that  he  did 
not  forget  the  evidence,  or  apparent  evidence,  on  the  basis 


A  FINAL  WORD  ABOUT  HERNDON    311 

of  which  he  had  at  one  time  doubted  whether  Lincoln  was 
legitimate.  In  several  places  I  find  him  writing  in  language 
that  shows  how  serious  he  had  at  one  time  considered  these 
charges,  and  by  what  a  careful  weighing  of  the  evidence  he  had 
come  to  his  conclusion,  in  which  still  he  encountered  some  diffi 
culties.  But  I  find  him  re-affirming  his  conviction  in  unmis 
takable  terms,  and  in  an  assurance  which,  after  he  had  ar 
rived  at  his  conviction,  never  left  him.  In  another  place  I 
find  this  unqualified  declaration,  which  expresses  the  faith  in 
which  he  died : 

"  I  AM  SATISFIED  THAT  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN  WAS 
THE  LAWFUL  CHILD  OF  THOMAS  LINCOLN  AND  NANCY 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 
THE  ORIGIN  AND  DESTINY  OF  THESE  STORIES 

I  HAD  little  hope  when  I  began  this  study  that  I  should  reach 
a  settled  conviction  as  to  the  precise  origin  of  these  stories;  all 
that  I  thought  to  discover  was  their  truth  or  falsehood;  but 
I  have  succeeded  beyond  my  expectation.  How  easy  it  is  for  a 
lie  to  begin — in  a  question,  a  shrug  of  the  shoulder,  a  circum 
flex  accent,  a  suggestion  that  some  one  has  suggested  that  it 
may  be  so!  And  how  nearly  impossible  it  is  thereafter  to 
keep  up  with  the  lie  itself  in  its  many  transformations,  its 
protean  changes,  its  adaptation  to  circumstances!  How  un 
likely  that  any  one,  even  if  he  could  assure  himself  of  the 
falsity  of  rumors  that  had  their  origin  a  half  century  ago,  and 
traveled  long  underground  before  they  appeared  in  print,  could 
reach  their  actual  beginning !  And  yet,  I  think  that  I  have  ac 
complished  this,  which  at  the  outset  I  did  not  anticipate.  I 
have  followed  the  sluggish  estuary  of  these  rumors  with  their 
seven  clogged  and  befouled  mouths  back  to  where  they  begin 
in  a  single  muddy  stream,  and  I  am  confident  that  I  have 
reached  its  fountain  head. 

Let  us  remember  first  that  the  earliest  biographers  of  Lin 
coln  did  not  make  swift  journeys  to  Hodgenville  to  learn  all 
they  could  about  Lincoln  on  the  ground.  They  were  correct 
in  their  opinion  that  there  was  not  very  much  to  be  learned 
there  that  would  meet  their  requirements.  The  number  of 
men  living  there  who  had  known  Abraham  Lincoln  as  a  small 
child  was  very  few,  and  their  testimony  had  in  it  nothing  of 
value  for  a  campaign  biography.  None  of  them  were  pre 
pared  to  write  such  a  biography.  D.  W.  Bartlett  had  just 
published  a  book  of  360  pages  on  the  Presidential  Candidates 
of  1860,  containing  twenty-one  biographies,  beginning  with 
William  H.  Seward  and  ending  with  John  C.  Fremont,  and 
the  name  of  Abraham  Lincoln  was  not  included  in  his  list  of 

312 


ORIGIN  AND  DESTINY  313 

presidential  possibilities.  Bartlett  had  to  hurry  around  and 
pick  up  what  material  he  could  for  a  campaign  Life  of  Lincoln 
and  Hamlin,  and  get  his  material  where  he  could,  which  was 
from  the  sketch  which  Lincoln  furnished  Scripps;  this  he  was 
able  to  work  up  into  a  cloth-bound  book  of  354  pages,  which 
was  doing  well  with  his  material,  but  it  involved  no  journey  to 
Kentucky.  Nor  did  any  of  the  1860  biographers  go  there  for 
material:  they  rushed  to  the  press  as  quickly  as  they 
could. 

The  campaign  of  1864  produced  no  necessity  for  local 
investigation;  people  then  were  chiefly  interested  in  the  events 
of  the  War.  Moreover,  La  Rue  County  was  not  then  a 
friendly  place  in  its  attitude  toward  Lincoln.  Hodgenville 
was  difficult  of  access  and  there  was  little  to  be  learned  by 
going  there.  So  there  was  little  to  stimulate  the  people  on  the 
ground  to  invent  stories  of  this  character. 

The  rumor  began  with  the  knowledge  that  Samuel  Hay- 
craft,  clerk  of  the  County  Court  at  Elizabethtown,  had  written 
to  Abraham  Lincoln,  just  after  his  nomination  by  the  Chicago 
convention  in  1860,  asking  whether  he  was  not  born  in  Eliza 
bethtown,  and  whether  he  was  not  the  son  of  Thomas  Lincoln 
and  Sarah  Bush.  Lincoln  wrote  to  him  under  date  of  May  28, 
1860: 


In  the  main  you  are  right  about  my  history.  My  father  was 
Thomas  Lincoln,  and  Mrs.  Sally  Johnston  was  his  second  wife. 
You  are  mistaken  about  my  mother.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Nancy  Hanks.  I  was  not  born  at  Elizabethtown,  but  my 
mother's  first  child,  a  daughter,  two  years  older  than  myself, 
and  now  long  since  deceased,  was.  I  was  born  February  12, 
1809,  near  where  Hodginsville  [Lincoln  misspelled  the  name] 
now  is,  then  in  Hardin  County.  I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw 
you,  though  I  know  very  well  who  you  are — so  well  that  I 
recognized  your  handwriting,  on  opening  your  letter,  before  I 
saw  the  signature.  My  recollection  is  that  Ben  Helm  was 
first  clerk,  that  you  succeeded  him,  that  Jack  Thomas  and 
William  Farleigh  graduated  in  the  same  office.  Am  I  right? 
My  father  has  been  dead  near  ten  years;  but  my  step-mother 
(Mrs.  Johnston)  is  still  living. 


314    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Mr.  Haycraft  had  already  found  what  he  first  supposed 
was  the  record  of  the  marriage  of  the  parents  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Sarah  Bush  Johnston,  and  he 
thought  that  Abraham  was  born  in  Elizabethtown.  On  receipt 
of  Lincoln's  letter  he  made  diligent  search  for  the  record  of 
the  marriage  of  Lincoln's  own  parents,  and  was  unable  to  find 
it.  This  failure  gradually  became  known;  and  as  the  search 
was  pursued  in  the  counties  immediately  adjacent  and  did  not 
yield  results,  the  suspicion  gradually  took  shape,  at  first  in 
political  circles,  that  Lincoln's  parents  were  not  married,  a 
suspicion  that  found  some  approach  to  confirmation  in  Lin 
coln's  own  reticence  and  the  reserve  of  his  biographers.  But 
this  at  first  was  not  construed  to  mean  that  any  other  man 
than  Thomas  Lincoln  was  Abraham's  father. 

Only  gradually  did  Hodgenville  awake  to  the  fact  that 
Lincoln  was  born  in  the  county  of  which  by  division  it  had  be 
come  the  shire  town.  Elizabethtown  had  claimed  that  honor, 
and  for  that  matter  is  still  disposed  to  claim  it,  and  Hodgen 
ville  displayed  no  great  alacrity  in  setting  up  claim  to  the 
birth  of  Lincoln.  Yet  there  were  a  very  few  old  people  who 
knew  that  while  Tom  Lincoln  had  a  daughter  when  he  came 
to  the  Rock  Spring  Farm,  on  Nolin  Creek,  a  son  was  born 
to  him  there. 

One  of  those  very  few  men,  in  all  not  more  than  a  half 
dozen  living  in  1860  and  named  as  remembering  him,  was 
Abraham  Enlow.  He  had  a  personal  recollection  which  he 
told  in  1860  and  until  his  death  in  1861.  Not  yet,  however, 
did  Hodgenville  know  of  the  rumor  that  Lincoln  was  illegit 
imate;  Mr.  Haycraft  was  still  pursuing  his  search.  It  was 
some  months  before  he  gave  it  up,  anG  the  news  of  his  failure 
spread  slowly,  and  at  first  was  quietly  discussed  by  politicians. 
There  was  no  immediate  attempt  to  learn  anything  by  gather 
ing  local  gossip;  the  quest  was  for  the  records.  When  that 
stopped,  the  gossip  began.  Gradually  it  reached  Hodgenville. 
By  that  time  Abraham  Enlow  was  dead.  He  died  in  1861. 

As  this  rumor  spread,  it  took  on  an  uglier  form.  It  was 
not  enough  to  say  that  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln,  being  poor 
white  trash,  lived  together  without  the  formality  of  marriage. 


ORIGIN  AND  DESTINY  315 

It  was  easy  to  go  a  step  farther,  and  that  step  was  taken,  in 
the  inquiry,  which  soon  grew  to  a  rumor  and  the  rumor  into 
an  affirmation,  as  to  the  responsibility  of  some  other  man  than 
Thomas  Lincoln  for  the  birth  of  the  boy.  At  first  this  story 
was  told  without  any  attempt  to  name  the  man,  but  by  the 
time  it  got  fairly  well  noised  abroad  in  La  Rue  County,  a 
name  became  almost  necessary. 

When  La  Rue  County  fully  woke  to  the  realization  that 
Lincoln  was  born  within  its  bounds,  it  took  its  honor  without 
due  elation.  Lincoln  was  no  favorite  there,  as  shown  by  the 
three  votes  which  the  county  gave  him  in  1860.  But  by  1864 
the  political  pot  was  boiling,  and  the  ugly  rumor  was  current  in 
the  country,  and  finally  its  backwater  came  seeping  through 
the  sluggish  soil  of  La  Rue  County  that  Abraham  Lincoln  who 
was  born  there  was  of  illegitimate  birth. 

To  its  honor,  let  it  be  recorded  that  La  Rue  County's 
first  response  was  an  emphatic  denial.  Men  who  are  still  liv 
ing,  and  are  of  the  highest  character,  remember  the  effect  of 
the  rumor  upon  the  old  people,  the  few  then  living,  who  had 
known  the  Lincolns.  They  denied  it.  They  declared  that  no 
such  rumor  had  been  current  there  at  the  time  of  the  birth 
of  Lincoln,  and  that  Mrs.  Lincoln  bore  a  good  reputation  dur 
ing  the  short  period  of  her  sojourn  in  that  community. 

But  these  people  were  few  in  number,  and  their  voices  did 
not  reach  the  outer  world.  One  by  one  these  old  people  died ; 
and  the  lie  lived  on. 

But  if  Abraham  Lincoln  was  conceived  and  born  in  La 
Rue  County,  and  was  not  the  son  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  a  father 
must  be  found  for  him ;  who  could  he  be  ? 

We  can  trace  the  actual  process  by  which  the  myth  was 
built  up,  and  almost  the  hour  of  its  birth. 

Abraham  Enlow  was  one  of  the  nearest  neighbors  of  the 
Lincolns,  living  only  a  matter  of  two  miles  away,  and  one  of 
the  few  living  in  1860  who  had  even  the  faintest  memory  of 
him.  He  had  this  one  recollection: 

On  a  day  which  must  have  been  Saturday,  February  n, 
1809,  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  Kirkpatrick  mill.  He  was  rid 
ing  his  horse,  having  on  his  saddle  under  him  a  sack  of  corn 


316    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

which  the  dull  stones  of  the  mill  would  reduce  to  meal.  As 
he  passed  the  house  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  he  was  hailed  by 
that  gentleman  with  a  request  that  he  return  home  and  bring 
his  mother,  who  was  locally  famous  as  a  "  granny-woman." 
He  and  Thomas  lifted  the  sack  down,  and  he  rode  back  home, 
and  soon  returned  with  his  mother,  Mary  La  Rue  Enlow, 
seated  on  the  horse  behind  him.  His  half-sister,  Peggy  La 
Rue,  who  was  twenty  years  old,  and  married  to  Conrad  Wal 
ters,  was  there,  also ;  and  there  were  other  women. 

Abraham  let  his  mother  down  at  the  cabin,  replaced  the 
sack  of  corn  with  the  help  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  and  rode  on 
to  the  mill,  returning  late  in  the  afternoon.  The  granny- 
woman  and  her  assistants  were  still  occupied,  and  he  went 
home  with  his  sack  of  meal.  Some  time  after  midnight,  on 
the  morning  of  Sunday,  February  12,  1809,  a  little  boy  was 
born. 

Either  then  or  later  Abraham  Enlow  got  the  idea  that  the 
child  was  named  for  him  in  recognition  of  his  kindness  in 
going  after  the  granny -woman.  He  did  not  know  that  the 
boy's  name  was  already  chosen,  being  that  of  Thomas  Lincoln's 
own  father. 

It  pleased  his  fancy  when  he  was  an  old  man,  in  1860,  to 
tell,  and  he  did  tell,  that  he  had  the  impression  that  Tom  Lin 
coln  named  little  Abe  for  him  as  a  reward  for  assisting  in  the 
bringing  of  the  granny-woman.  If  that  innocent  illusion 
did  Abraham  Enlow  any  good,  no  one  should  begrudge  him 
that  measure  of  satisfaction.  But  we  know  for  whom 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  named ;  and  Abraham  Enlow  had  small 
consideration  in  the  choice  of  the  name. 

Abraham  Enlow  died  in  1861,  and  the  rumor  that  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  an  illegitimate  child  reached  Hodgenville  during 
the  campaign  of  1864.  Not  before  that  time  is  there  one 
vestige  of  record  of  any  such  rumor  in  La  Rue  County. 

When  that  rumor  got  afloat,  and  began  to  find  willing  and 
credulous  listeners,  it  became  the  manifest  duty  of  La  Rue 
County  to  furnish  a  father  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  The  choice 
was  limited.  There  were  no  living  candidates  for  the  honor. 
There  were  few  dead  men  who  were  known  to  have  known 


ORIGIN  AND  DESTINY  317 

Abraham  Lincoln.  Knowledge  of  the  family  as  having  ever 
lived  on  the  Rock  Spring  farm  had  almost  totally  vanished. 
There  was  not  a  shred  of  record  of  the  birth  in  the  county 
offices.  Everything  depended  upon  the  declaration  of  Abra 
ham  Lincoln  that  he  was  born  there,  and  on  the  dim  recollec 
tions  of  a  very  few  elderly  people  who  could  recall  hardly 
any  incidents. 

But  people  began  to  remember  that  Abraham  Enlow,  who 
had  died  three  or  four  years  before,  had  boasted  that  Abe 
Lincoln  was  named  for  him,  and  that  he  was  hanging  around 
the  cabin  when  Abe  was  born.  Why  should  he  have  been  there 
unless  he  had  reason  to  be  interested  ?  Why  should  the  child 
have  been  named  for  him  unless  it  was  his? 

Necessity  is  the  mother  of  invention.  La  Rue  County, 
faced  with  the  necessity  of  finding  a  father  for  Abraham  Lin 
coln,  did  the  best  it  knew  with  the  very  scanty  materials  at  its 
disposal,  and  about  1865  the  story  was  in  full  tide  of  cur 
rency,  that  Abe  Lincoln  was  named  Abraham  for  his  real 
and  Lincoln  for  his  putative  father. 

And  this  is  the  way  it  began.  I  have  traced  it  from  this 
beginning,  through  all  its  multitudinous  forms,  and  they  all 
come  back  to  this. 

By  1872,  when  Lamon's  book  was  published,  these  stories 
were  at  high  tide.  One  had  no  need  to  go  to  Hodgenville  to 
learn  them.  Indeed,  by  keeping  away  from  there  one  could 
learn  more  than  any  one  in  Hodgenville  knew,  as  for  instance, 
the  story  about  the  fight  between  Tom  Lincoln  and  Abe  Enlow, 
which  was  the  story  of  another  fight,  in  another  county,  that 
came  to  embellish  the  Lincoln  story  as  lawyers  retold  it  and 
amplified  in  the  telling. 

Did  not  Hodgenville  know  the  age  of  Abraham  Enlow, 
and  that  he  was  only  a  boy  when  Lincoln  was  born  ?  For  the 
most  part,  no.  Abraham  Enlow  died  an  old  man,  and  in  that 
region  an  old  man  is  an  old  man,  and  that  without  overmuch 
concern  about  his  precise  age.  But  that  part  of  Hodgenville 
that  gave  much  real  thought  to  the  matter  knew  at  once  that 
the  story  was  untrue;  less  because  of  any  computation  of 
Abraham  Enlow's  age  than  because  the  Lincolns  were  not  yet 


318    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

resident  of  his  neighborhood  until  several  months  after  Abra 
ham  Lincoln  was  on  the  way.  That  was  why  the  Brownfield 
story  was  invented.  People  who  said  that  the  Enlow  story 
was  impossible  would  sometimes  add  that  if  such  a  story  were 
true  at  all,  there  was  only  one  man  of  whom  it  could  well  be 
true,  and  that  was  George  Brownfield;  Tom  Lincoln  worked 
for  him  that  summer  and  fall,  and  George  Brownfield's  sons 
were  tall  men;  and  there  might  possibly  be  something  in  that 
suggestion.  But  the  Brownfield  story,  though  it  had  at  least 
the  fact  of  physical  possibility  in  its  favor,  never  found  any 
favor  outside  the  immediate  neighborhood,  and  not  very  much 
there.  And  the  Abe  Enlow  story  spread. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  show  in  detail  how  the  story  took 
on  a  new  form  wherever  there  was  or  had  been  a  man  named 
Abraham  Enlow.  There  had  been  a  man  in  Bourbon  County, 
near  the  border  of  Clark,  named  Abe  Inlow,  a  miller;  and 
there  once  was  a  young  woman  named  Nancy  Hornback,  who, 
though  the  mother  of  an  illegitimate  child,  found  a  husband 
and  went  with  him  and  her  child  to  one  of  the  western  counties 
of  Kentucky.  There  was  a  girl  in  North  Carolina  who  had 
worked  as  a  servant  and  was  sent  over  the  mountains  into 
Kentucky  or  Tennessee,  and  there  was  an  Abraham  Enlow 
there,  of  whom,  a  half  century  afterward,  it  was  possible  to 
relate  the  story  with  suitable  local  adaptations.  And  so  the 
story  grew. 

The  discovery  of  the  marriage  record  of  Thomas  and 
Nancy  Lincoln  in  Washington  County  had  no  effect  upon  the 
story  as  it  was  told  in  La  Rue  County;  for  there  it  had  always 
been  assumed  that  Thomas  and  Nancy  were  married;  and  if 
theirs  was  only  a  common  law  marriage,  that  did  not  greatly 
alter  the  situation  as  it  related  to  Enlow.  No  one  there  cared 
whether  the  certificate  was  found  or  not.  The  discovery  of  the 
certificate  was  indeed  a  nightly  important  event  as  establishing 
the  conjugal  relations  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln,  but 
if  Nancy  was  untrue  to  Thomas,  as  the  La  Rue  County 
story  assumed,  the  certificate  was  not  of  any  considerable  im 
portance.  And  the  story,  once  rooted,  persisted.  But  it  never 
would  have  started  if  the  marriage  return  had  been  found  be- 


ORIGIN  AND  DESTINY  319 

fore  Abraham  Lincoln  became  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency, 
and  if  he  could  have  told  Jesse  Fell  and  John  Locke  Scripps 
the  date  of  his  parents'  marriage.  It  would  not  have  started 
if  Abraham  Lincoln  had  not  displayed  that  "  significant  re 
serve  "  of  which  so  many  of  his  biographers  speak,  and  which 
he  would  not  have  displayed  had  he  been  sure  of  that  fact 
and  date.  As  it  was,  the  failure  of  Samuel  Haycraft  to  find 
the  record  started  a  story  that  locally  had  little  to  do  with  the 
record,  and  which  proved  the  root  of  all  the  other  stories. 

Now  this  is  the  way  it  began,  and  the  conditions  were  ripe 
for  its  dissemination.  But  it  was  false  from  beginning  to  end, 
and  the  time  has  come  to  say  so  with  an  emphasis  that  shall 
forever  forbid  its  repetition  even  as  a  conjecture  or  a  per- 
adventure. 

Thus  far  we  deal  with  the  story  as  oral  tradition.  When 
and  how  did  it  get  into  print?  How  did  it  evolve  from  local 
gossip  into  general  publicity? 

The  story  that  Lincoln  had  reason  to  be  ashamed  of  his 
birth  began  in  a  vague  rumor  to  the  effect  that  Thomas  and 
Nancy  Lincoln  were  "  white  trash  "  who  lived  together  with 
out  the  formality  of  marriage;  but  when  this  rumor  began, 
about  1861,  it  was  without  the  slightest  intimation  that  any 
other  man  than  Thomas  Lincoln  was  Abraham  Lincoln's 
father.  When,  about  1864,  the  rumor  reached  Hodgenville, 
it  had  enlarged  into  the  report  that  another  man  than  Thomas 
Lincoln  was  Abraham's  father,  but  no  other  man  was  named. 
Hodgenville  itself  supplied  the  name,  choosing  from  among 
the  few  neighbors  of  Thomas  Lincoln  one  who  was  remem 
bered  to  have  told  that  he  was  interested  in  the  birth  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  to  the  extent  of  loaning  a  horse  to  bring  the 
midwife,  and  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  named  after  him. 
The  name  of  Abraham  Enlow  having  once  been  spoken,  it 
gave  occasion  for  a  new  form  of  the  story  wherever  there  was 
a  branch  of  the  Enlow  family. 

But  not  in  1861  nor  yet  in  1864  was  there  a  word  in  print 
that  hinted  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  not  born  in  lawful 
wedlock. 

I  have  been  very  desirous  of  learning  where  the  first  sug- 


320     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

gestion  appeared  in  print,  and  to  this  end  I  wrote  to  several 
authorities.  The  first  of  these  was  Jesse  W.  Weik,  Hern- 
don's  associate  in  the  preparation  of  his  Life  of  Lincoln. 
Mr.  Weik,  who  has  studied  this  question  for  many  years, 
replied  at  once  that  the  first  appearance  of  this  story  in  print 
was  in  Lamon's  Life  of  Lincoln,  issued  in  1872. 

Hon.  Daniel  Fish  is  the  foremost  authority  on  Lincoln 
literature,  and  the  compiler  of  the  standard  Bibliography  of 
Lincolniana.  He  replied : 

"  Lamon's  biography,  so  far  as  I  know,  was  the  first 
publication  in  book  or  pamphlet  form  to  suggest  a  query  about 
the  legitimacy  of  Lincoln;  and  that,  as  you  know,  is  very  in 
definite." 

Judd  Stewart,  besides  being  the  owner  of  the  largest  Lin 
coln  collection  in  existence,  is  a  discriminating  student  of 
Lincoln  literature.  He  wrote: 

"  I  think  Lamon's  Life  of  Lincoln,  published  in  1872 
(preface  dated  May,  1872)  is  the  earliest  publication  that  in 
any  way  suggests  the  illegitimacy  of  Abraham  Lincoln." 

Mr.  Appleton  P.  C.  Griffin,  Chief  Assistant  Librarian  of 
the  Library  of  Congress,  made  search  for  me,  and  gave  the 
same  answer. 

I  could  think  of  only  one  other  way  of  learning.  The 
Senators  of  the  United  States  are  permitted  to  ask  for  assist 
ance  in  the  Library  of  Congress  to  an  almost  unlimited  extent 
in  the  gathering  of  literary  material  that  may  be  of  value  to 
them  for  their  speeches.  I  have  found  occasion  to  avail  myself 
of  the  courtesy  of  Senators  in  this  and  other  matters,  and  I 
wrote  to  Senator  Medill  McCormick,  asking  him  to  have  thor 
ough  search  of  periodical  literature  in  the  Library  of  Congress 
to  find  whether  in  any  newspaper  or  magazine  this  rumor 
appeared  prior  to  the  publication  of  Lamon's  book.  The  an 
swer  is : 

"  With  reference  to  the  attached  letter  of  Dr.  Barton,  we 
have  made  a  careful  search  and  have  been  unable  to  find  any 
reference  to  Lincoln's  alleged  illegitimacy  before  1872." 

Some  men  are  said  to  be  born  great,  others  to  achieve 
greatness,  and  others  to  have  greatness  thrust  upon  them.  To 


ORIGIN  AND  DESTINY  321 

the  last  class  belonged  Abraham  Enlow;  and  he  died  before  he 
knew  it. 

He  was  a  life-long  Democrat,  and  with  all  his  family  he 
sympathized  with  the  South  when  the!  Civil  War  broke  out. 
La  Rue  County  cast  three  votes  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  and 
Abraham  Enlow's  was  not  one  of  them.  He  had  been  sick  in 
1859,  and  knew,  as  he  said  in  his  will,  that  his  years  at  most 
could  not  be  many;  and  he  had  no  mind  to  imperil  his  immortal 
soul  by  voting  for  a  Republican  on  the  chance  that  posterity 
might  assign  him  a  paternal  interest  in  the  candidate.  He 
voted  in  the  autumn  of  1860,  casting  a  good  old-fashioned 
Democratic  ticket  as  was  his  wont,  and  died  a  year  later  with 
the>  consciousness  that  he  had  done  his  duty.  But  when  he 
knew  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  elected,  he  was  as  little  dis 
pleased  as  he  could  well  have  been  with  a  candidate  whose 
political  views  he  did  not  approve;  and  he  told  his  friends,  as 
he  stood  in  front  of  the  Hodgenville  drug-store,  that  when 
Abe  Lincoln  was  born,  he  loaned  his  horse  to  fetch  the  granny- 
woman,  and  he  rather  thought  they  named  the  boy  Abe  in  his 
honor.  With  this  pleased  reminiscence,  he  spent  his  last  few 
months,  and  died,  never  suspecting  what  use  would  be  made 
of  his  boyish  act  of  generosity. 

It  was  meager  material  for  the  manufacture  of  so  great 
a  lie,  and  for  the  propagation  of  so  large  a  family  of  lies;  but 
it  sufficed. 

It  no  longer  suffices.  It  is  weighed  in  the  balance  and 
found  wanting.  Let  Abraham  Enlow  have  full  credit  for  hav 
ing  lived  an  upright  and  honest  life,  and  for  a  name  which  he 
did  nothing  to  dishonor;  but  among  the  good  or  bad  deeds  that 
he  did  there  is  one  that  is  not  to  be  included.  Neither  he  nor 
any  other  man  than  Thomas  Lincoln  was  the  father  of  Abra 
ham  Lincoln. 

The  hills  of  Kentucky  have  their  own  stolid  type  of  mirth, 
and  their  sententious  sayings  are  sometimes  informed  with  a 
quizzical  humor.  There  is  a  saying  current  there,  and  Abra« 
ham  Lincoln  would  have  heard  it  had  he  lived  there  longer, 
when  a  story  or  a  political  issue  or  candidate  is  completely 
and  effectually  disposed  of.  They  say,  as  I  have  heard  them 


322    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

say  in  stump  speeches,  that  that  story  or  issue  or  candidate  is 
now  buried  so  deeply  that  if  he  or  it  ever  scratches  out,  it  will 
be  less  laborious  "  to  keep  on  a-scratchin*  downwards,  and 
come  out  face  to  the  fire/' 

That  is  the  depth  at  which  I  have  now  buried  the  story 
that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  an  illegitimate  child.  Let  any 
man  who  proposes  to  exhume  that  putrid  reminiscence  go 
prepared  to  dig  deep  and  stay  long,  for  he  will  not  find  it  on 
this  side  of  the  place  prepared  for  every  one  that  loveth  and 
maketh  a  lie. 


APPENDICES 


APPENDIX  I 
REV.  JESSE  HEAD 

I.     A  LETTER  FROM   REV.   E.  B.    HEAD 

After  the  publication  of  the  discovery  of  the  marriage  rec 
ord  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln,  Rev.  Dr.  J.  M.  Buckley,  of 
the  New  York  Christian  Advocate,  conducted  a  correspondence 
to  secure  information  about  Rev.  Jesse  Head,  who  solemnized 
the  marriage.  A  number  of  letters  were  received  from  men 
who  had  known  him,  the  most  important  being  from  Jesse 
Head's  grandson,  Rev.  E.  B.  Head,  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Lawrenceburg  Conference  in  Kentucky: 

LAWRENCEBURG,  KENTUCKY, 
ANDERSON  COUNTY,  May  3,  1882. 
To  THE  REV.  J.  M.  BUCKLEY,  D.D. 

Dear  Sir  and  Brother: — Your  favor  reached  me  on  the  eve 
of  my  leaving  Harrodsburg  for  this  place,  hence  the  delay  in 
responding  to  your  request.  The  Rev.  Jesse  Head  referred  to 
was  my  grandfather.  He  was  born  in  Maryland,  near  Baltimore ; 
was  married  to  Miss  Jane  Ramsey,  of  (what  is  now)  Bedford 
County,  Pennsylvania.  He  removed  to  Kentucky,  and  settled 
at  Springfield,  Washington  County.  He  was  an  ordained  min 
ister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but  was  never  con 
nected  with  the  itinerancy  in  Kentucky,  on  account  of  feeble 
health.  He  held  several  prominent  civil  offices  while  living  in 
Springfield,  and  was  actively  engaged  preaching  the  gospel  of 
God's  grace.  He  celebrated  the  rites  of  matrimony  between 
Thomas  Lincoln  and  Miss  Nancy  Hanks,  father  and  mother  of 
President  Lincoln,  in  1806,  near  Springfield.  He  afterwards 
moved  to  Harrodsburg,  Mercer  County,  where  he  lived  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  March,  1842.  At  Harrodsburg  he 
engaged  in  merchandizing,  also  owned  and  edited  the  county 
paper  for  a  term  of  years.  He  was  largely  instrumental,  if  not 
wholly,  in  building  the  first  church  ever  erected  in  Harrodsburg ; 
also  organized  and  conducted  the  first  prayer-meeting.  In  gospel 
labors  he  was  always  abundant.  His  house  was  the  home  for 
several  years  of  Rev.  H.  B.  Bascom,  afterwards  Bishop;  also 

325 


326    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

of  Bishop  McKendree  especially,  as  they  were  bosom  friends. 
Some  time  before  his  death  he  left  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  connected  himself  with  the  Radical  Methodists,  on 
account  of  slavery,  and  also  some  dissatisfaction  with  the  Epis 
copacy.  He  then  had  charge  of  and  preached  for  a  church  for 
years  at  Lexington,  Kentucky.  His  name  at  Harrodsburg  and 
through  the  surrounding  country  is  as  ointment  poured  forth. 
He  was  a  man  of  decided  and  positive  character,  bold  and  aggres 
sive,  and  died  loved  and  honored  by  all.  He  died  as  he  lived, 
in  the  triumph  of  the  faith  of  the  Gospel  of  God's  Son. 
Fraternally  yours, 

E.  B.  HEAD,  P.E., 
Lawrenceburg  Circuit,  Kentucky  Conference. 


2.     THE    RETURN    OF    MARRIAGES,    INCLUDING    THAT    OF    THOMAS 
LINCOLN  AND  NANCY  HANKS  BY  REV.  JESSE  HEAD 

Copied  from  the  Original  in  the  Office  of  the  County  Clerk 
in  Springfield,  Washington  County,  Kentucky,  by  William  E. 
Barton. 

I  do  hereby  certify  that  the  following  is  a  true  list  of  the 
Marriages  Solemnized  by  me  the  subscriber  from  the  28th  of 
April  1806  untill  the  date  hereof. 

June  26th  1806  Joined  together  in  the  Holy  Estate  of  Mat 
rimony  agreeable  to  the  rules  of  the  M.E.C.  Morris  Berry  & 
Peggy  Simms 

Nov  27th  1806  David  Mige(?)  &  Hannah  Xten(?) 
March  5th  1807  Charles  Ridge  &  Anna  Davis 
March  24th  1807  John  Head  &  Sally  Clark 
March  27th  Benjamin  Clark  &  Dolly  Head 
Jany  I4th  Edward  Pyle  &  Rosanah  McMahon 
Deer  22nd  1806  Silas  Chamberlin  &  Betsey  West 
June  1 7th  1806  John  Springer  &  Elizabeth  Ingram 
June  I2th  1806  Thomas  Lincoln  &  Nancy  Hanks 
September  23rd  1806.    John  Cambion  &  Hanah  White 
October  2nd  1806  Anthony  Lykey  &  Keziah  Putte 
October  23rd  Aaron  Harding  &  Hannah  Rottet 
April  5th  1807  Daniel  Payne  &  Christiana  Pierre 
July  26th  1806  Benjamin  Clark  &  Polly  Clark 
May  —  1806  Hugh  Haskin  &  Betsy  Dyer 
September  25th  1806  John  Graham  &  Catherine  Jones 
Given  under  my  hand  this  22nd  day  of  April  1807 

JESSE  HEAD,  D.  M.E.C. 


REV.  JESSE  HEAD  327 


3.  MARRIAGE  BOND  OF  THOMAS  LINCOLN  AND   NANCY   HANKS  AT 

SPRINGFIELD,   KENTUCKY 

Copied  from  the  Original  by  William  E.  Barton. 

Know  all  men  by  these  presents  that  we  Thomas  Lincoln  and 
Richard  Berry  are  held  and  firmly  bound  unto  his  Excellency 
the  governor  of  Kentucky  for  the  Just  and  full  sum  of  fifty 
pounds  current  money  to  the  payment  of  which  well  and  truly 
to  be  made  to  the  said  governor  and  his  successors  we  bind  our 
selves  and  our  heirs  &c  Jointly  and  severally  firmly  by  these 
presents  sealed  with  our  seals  and  dated  this  loth  day  of  June, 
1806.  The  Condition  of  the  above  Obligation  is  such  that  whereas 
there  is  a  marriage  shortly  intended  between  the  above  bound 
Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks  for  which  a  license  has  issued 
now  if  there  be  no  lawful  cause  to  obstruct  the  said  marriage 
then  this  obligation  to  be  Void  or  else  to  remain  in  full  force  & 
virtue  in  law. 

THOMAS  LINCOLN  (Seal) 
RICHARD  BERRY     (Seal) 
Witness,  John  H.  Parrott. 

John  H.  Parrott,  the  witness,  was  also  the  clerk  of  court. 

The  writing  shows  that  it  was  the  custom  of  the  clerk  to 
write  out  the  text  of  marriage  bonds  in  blank,  filling  in  the  names 
as  occasion  demanded.  The  names  and  dates  show  spaces  larger 
than  required,  and  give  evidence  that  the  clerk  found  it  conveni 
ent  to  keep  one  or  two  bonds  in  readiness. 

Miss  Tarbell  credits  the  discovery  of  the  marriage  return 
correctly  as  by  W.  F.  Booker,  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  Washington 
County,  Kentucky,  but  sets  the  date  of  discovery  as  1885.  Un 
fortunately  the  exact  date  is  not  known;  but  it  was  discovered 
at  least  as  early  as  1878. 

4.  ALLEGED    MARRIAGE    CERTIFICATE    OF    THOMAS    LINCOLN    AND 

NANCY   HANKS 

From  tracing  by  Henry  Whitney  Cleveland,  of  Louisville, 
in  Miss  Tarbell's  "  Early  Life  of  Lincoln." 

I  do  hereby  Certify  that  by  authority  of  License  Issued  by 
the  Clerks  Office  of  Washington  Co.  I  have  solemnized  the  rites 


828    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

of  Matrimony  between  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks,  June 
1 2th  1806  A.D.  agreeable  to  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  witness  my  hand 

JESSE  HEAD    Dn.M.E.C. 

I  do  not  know  from  what  source  this  document  emanated, 
and  I  propound  no  theory  as  to  who,  if  any  one,  forged  it.  But 
in  my  judgment  Miss  Tarbell  was  imposed  upon.  This  does  not 
appear  to  me,  as  shown  in  the  tracing,  to  be  a  genuine  document. 

5.     THE  FIRST  ANNOUNCEMENT   OF  THE   MARRIAGE   RECORD 

So  many  and  such  contradictory  accounts  have  been  published 
concerning  the  discovery  of  the  marriage  bond,  and  the  minister's 
return  for  the  marriage  of  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks  I 
was  very  desirous  of  learning  not  only  how  but  if  possible  exactly 
when  the  discovery  was  made.  I  have  interviewed  Mr.  Booker's 
successor,  who  has  made  for  me  a  signed  statement,  with  the  seal 
of  the  court  affixed.  I  have  also  been  able  to  procure  a  very  small 
pamphlet  which  Mr.  Booker  issued,  and  which  is  now  prac 
tically  impossible  to  obtain,  relating  how  these  documents  were 
found.  The  essential  facts  of  the  story  are  given  in  this  volume, 
and  are  based  upon  first-hand  testimony.  They  do  not,  however, 
give  the  date  of  the  discovery.  The  county  officers  of  Washing 
ton  County  are  agreed  that  it  was  in  the  early  eighties, — 1881  or 
1882.  I  had  found  definitely  that  it  was  earlier  than  1882,  and 
had  accepted  1881  as  the  probable  date,  when  by  rare  good  for 
tune,  I  found,  in  the  Massachusetts  Historic  Genealogical  Society 
in  Boston,  an  editorial  clipping  from  the  Boston  Journal  of  Mon 
day,  January  27,  1879,  referring  to  an  article  in  the  New  York 
Tribune  of  the  preceding  Saturday,  and  containing  the  following 
statements : 

It  has  long  been  a  disputed  point  whether  the  parents  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  were  ever  married ;  and  in  a  Life  of  Lincoln, 
published  by  Ward  H.  Lamon  in  1872,  it  was  intended  to  show 
that,  owing  to  their  extreme  poverty,  the  parents  of  Lincoln 
never  were  legally  married,  as,  according  to  the  laws  of  the 
State  of  Kentucky,  it  would  have  been  necessary  to  file  a  bond 
to  guard  the  State  against  an  over-supply  of  paupers.  Much 
other  matter  bearing  on  the  same  part  was  also  intended  to  be 
included  in  the  book,  and  the  Lincoln  family  desired  to  have 
it  suppressed.  The  family  and  its  most  intimate  friends  were 


REV.  JESSE  HEAD  329 

positive  that  there  was  not  the  least  ground  for  a  charge  of 
illegitimacy  against  Lincoln.  Accordingly,  Judge  David  Davis 
and  Leonard  Swett,  a  prominent  lawyer  living  in  Illinois,  who 
had  been  a  firm  friend  of  Lincoln,  exerted  themselves  success 
fully  to  have  much  of  this  matter  suppressed.  Lamon,  however, 
stated  in  the  book  that  no  record  of  the  marriage  could  be  found, 
and  represented  Lincoln  as  very  reluctant  to  talk  about  his 
parents  and  their  early  life.  The  New  York  Tribune  of  Satur 
day  says,  however,  that  while  in  Kentucky  last  fall  ex-Secretary 
Bristow  met  a  lawyer  of  high  reputation,  R.  J.  Browne.  Mr. 
Browne  lives  in  Springfield,  Washington  County,  Kentucky,  is 
a  man  of  wealth,  a  Republican,  and  one  who  takes  great  pride 
in  guarding  the  memory  of  the  dead  President.  He  heard  of 
the  reports  referred  to  above,  and  caused  a  diligent  search  to 
be  made  for  the  record  of  the  marriage  of  Lincoln's  parents. 
The  search  was  successful,  and  Mr.  Browne  mentioned  the  fact 
to  Mr.  Bristow,  who  urged  him  to  make  the  result  public  in 
order  to  remove  the  doubt  in  the  minds  of  many  on  the  subject. 
Mr.  Browne  promised  to  send  copies  of  the  bond  and  certificate 
to  General  Bristow,  and  recently  he  did  so. 

The  letter  of  Mr.  Browne  to  General  Bristow  follows  under 
date  of  December  16,  1878.  With  it  is  an  accurate  copy  of  the 
marriage  bond,  certified  by  W.  F.  Booker,  clerk;  and  also  a 
condensed  copy  of  the  return  of  Jesse  Head,  abbreviated  so  by 
the  omission  of  the  names  of  all  the  couples  except  Thomas 
Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks.  In  making  the  copy,  Mr.  Booker 
inadvertently  copied  the  date  belonging  to  the  next  couple,  and 
that  is  why  some  of  the  Lives  of  Lincoln  give  the  marriage  date 
as  September  23,  1806,  instead  of  June  12,  1806. 

This  form,  also,  as  I  suspect,  suggested  to  some  one  clever 
with  the  pen  that  he  could  create  a  certificate  that  would  have 
commercial  value.  But  this  I  suspect  only:  I  do  not  know  the 
origin  of  the  so-called  certificate. 

The  reference  to  the  marriage  bond  is  incorrect.  The  pur 
pose  of  the  bond  is  not  to  guarantee  the  State  against  the  birth 
of  paupers;  nor  is  it  certain  that  a  bond  that  makes  marriage 
difficult  would  have  that  result.  The  bond  is  issued  to  protect 
the  officer  who  issues  the  license  against  the  possibility  that  the 
persons  may  be  under  age  or  already  married.  The  bond  is 
usually  a  mere  formality.  In  the  case  of  a  man  of  28  and  a 
woman  of  23,  there  would  have  been  no  difficulty  in  securing 
bondsmen. 


330    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Nicolay  and  Hay  derive  the  interest  of  the  Berrys  in  the 
marriage  of  Thomas  and  Nancy,  not  from  their  supposed  re 
lation  to  the  bride,  but  through  their  relation  to  the  Lincoln  fam 
ily,  through  the  first  wife  of  the  father  of  Thomas: 

Richard  Berry  was  a  connection  of  Lincoln;  his  wife  was  a 
Shipley. — Abraham  Lincoln:  A  History,  I,  p.  24. 

I  think  General  Bristow  was  mistaken  in  his  impression  that 
Mr.  Browne  caused  the  record  to  be  discovered.  Mr.  Browne 
had  probably  learned  of  the  recent  discovery  of  the  document 
by  Mr.  Booker,  and  his  conversation  with  General  Bristow  led 
to  its  publication,  first  of  all,  as  I  suppose,  in  the  New  York 
Tribune,  January  25,  1878. 

This  seemed  to  me  so  important  that  I  went  at  once  to  New 
York,  and  found  the  original  article.  I  am  able  now  definitely 
to  fix,  not  the  date  of  discovery  but  the  date  of  publication  of  the 
discovery ;  and  it  is  several  years  earlier  than  is  usually  claimed 
for  it.  I  give  this  article  in  full: 

(From  the  New  York  Daily  Tribune,  Saturday,  January  25,  1879) 
LINCOLN'S  PARENTAGE 

NEW  FACTS  ABOUT  HIS  FAMILY 

Letters  and  documents  now  first  published,  which  prove  the 
legal  marriage  of  Lincoln's  father  and  mother.  Flat  contradiction 
of  the  story  told  in  Lamon' s  "  Life  of  Lincoln!' 

Recent  developments  promise  to  settle  the  long  disputed  ques 
tion  whether  the  father  and  mother  of  Abraham  Lincoln  ever 
were  legally  married.  Shortly  before  Ward  H.  Lamon  published 
his  Life  of  Lincoln  in  1872,  it  became  known  to  some  of  those  who 
had  been  the  warmest  friends  of  the  dead  President  that  Lamon 
intended  to  publish  the  statement  that  on  account  of  their  extreme 
poverty  the  parents  of  Lincoln  never  were  legally  married,  as, 
according  to  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Kentucky,  it  would  have  been 
necessary  to  file  a  bond  to  guard  the  State  against  an  over-supply 
of  paupers.  Much  other  matter  bearing  on  the  same  point  was 
also  intended  to  be  included  in  the  book,  and  the  Lincoln  family 
desired  to  have  it  suppressed.  The  family  and  its  most  intimate 
friends  were  positive  that  there  was  not  the  least  ground  for  a 
charge  of  illegitimacy  against  Lincoln.  Accordingly,  Judge  David 
Davis  and  Leonard  Sweet,  a  prominent  lawyer,  living  in  Illinois, 


REV.  JESSE  HEAD  331 

exerted  themselves  successfully  to  have  much  of  this  matter 
suppressed. 

It  appears,  however,  from  Lamon's  book,  that  in  his  own 
mind  the  author  had  grave  doubts  as  to  whether  Lincoln's  parents 
ever  were  married,  and  he  seems  to  wish  to  render  the  home  of 
Lincoln's  parents  as  unattractive  as  possible  in  order  to  make  the 
contrast  between  Lincoln's  early  and  later  surroundings  as  strong 
as  possible.  Lamon  speaks  of  Thomas,  Abraham's  father,  as 
*'  wanting  in  character  "  and  says  that  this  was  one  of  the  reasons 
why  "  Sally  "  Bush,  "  a  modest  and  pious  girl  and  all  things  pure 
and  decent"  refused  to  marry  him.  Lamon  refers  to  the  marriage 
of  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks  as  follows: 

"  Sometime  in  the  year  1806  he  married  Nancy  Hanks.  It 
was  in  the  shop  of  her  uncle,  Joseph  Hanks  of  Elizabethtown, 
Hardin  County,  that  he  had  essayed  to  learn  his  trade.  ...  It 
is  admitted  by  all  the  old  residents  of  the  place  that  they  were 
honestly  married,  but  precisely  when  and  how,  no  one  can  tell. 
Diligent  and  thorough  searches  by  the  most  competent  persons 
have  failed  to  disclose  any  trace  of  the  fact  in  the  public  records 
of  Hardin  and  the  adjoining  counties.  The  license  and  the  minis 
ter's  return  in  the  case  of  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Sarah  Johnston 
his  second  wife,  were  easily  found  in  the  place  where  the  law 
required  them  to  be;  but  in  the  Nancy  Hanks  marriage  there 
exists  no  evidence  but  that  a  mutual  acknowledgment  and  co 
habitation.  At  the  time  of  their  union  Thomas  was  twenty-eight 
years  of  age  and  Nancy  about  twenty-three." 

Again,  on  page  17  is  found  the  following: 

"  The  lives  of  his  (Abraham's)  father  and  mother,  and  their 
history  and  character  of  the  family  before  their  settlement  in 
Indiana,  were  topics  upon  which  Mr.  Lincoln  never  spoke  but 
with  great  reluctance  and  significant  reserve.  In  his  family  Bible 
he  kept  the  register  of  births,  marriages  and  deaths,  every  entry 
being  carefully  made  in  his  own  handwriting.  ...  It  has  not  a 
word  about  the  Hankses  or  Sparrows.  It  shows  the  marriage  of 
Sarah  Bush  first  with  Daniel  Johnston  and  then  with  Thomas  Lin 
coln,  but  it  is  entirely  silent  as  to  the  marriage  of  his  own  mother. 
It  does  not  even  give  the  date  of  her  birth  but  barely  recognizes 
her  existence  and  demise  to  make  the  vacancy  which  was  speedily 
filled  by  Sarah  Johnston." 

To  show  Mr.  Lincoln's  reticence  about  his  parentage,  Lamon 
gives  several  extremely  brief  replies  which  were  sent  to  appli 
cants  for  biographical  sketches.  "  Mr.  Lincoln,"  writes  one  of 
these  applicants,  "  communicated  some  facts  to  me  about  his  an 
cestry  which  he  did  not  wish  published,  and  which  I  have  never 
spoken  of  or  alluded  to  before." 

While  in  Kentucky  last  fall,  ex-Secretary  Bristow  met  a  law- 


332     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

yer  of  high  reputation,  R.  J.  Browne.  Mr.  Browne  lives  in  Spring 
field,  Washington  County,  is  a  man  of  wealth,  a  Republican,  and 
one  who  takes  great  pride  in  guarding  the  memory  of  the  dead 
President.  He  heard  of  the  reports  referred  to  above  and  caused 
a  diligent  search  to  be  made  for  the  record  of  the  marriage  of 
Lincoln's  parents.  The  search  was  successful,  and  Mr.  Browne 
mentioned  the  fact  to  General  Bristow  who  urged  him  to  make 
the  result  public,  in  order  to  remove  the  doubt  in  the  minds  of 
many  upon  the  subject.  Mr.  Browne  promised  to  send  copies 
of  the  bond  and  certificate  to  General  Bristow,  and  recently  he 
did  so.  Mr.  Browne's  letter  and  the  accompanying  copies  of 
documents  were  as  follows : 

"  Springfield,  Ky.,  Dec.  16,  1878. 
Dear  Sir : — 

When  I  saw  you  last  in  Louisville  I  promised  to  send  you  a 
copy  of  the  record  of  President  Lincoln's  father's  marriage.  I 
now  send  it  to  you.  The  record  ought  forever  to  silence  the 
charge  of  the  President's  illegitimacy.  I  have  talked  with  men  of 
the  highest  veracity  who  have  told  me  that  they  attended  the 
wedding.  With  a  sincere  wish,  etc.,  I  am, 

"  Truly  yours, 

"  R.  J.  Browne." 

"  To  Genl.  B.  H.  Bristow, 

New  York  City. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  bond : 

Know  all  men  by  these  presents  that  we  Thomas  Lincoln  and 
Richard  Berry  are  held  and  firmly  bound  unto  his  Excellency  the 
Governor  of  Kentucky  for  the  Just  and  full  sum  of  fifty  pounds 
Current  money  to  the  payment  of  which  well  and  truly  to  be  made 
to  the  said  governor  and  his  successors  we  bind  ourselves  our 
heirs  &c.,  Jointly  and  Severally  firmly  by  these  presents  sealed 
with  our  seals  and  dated  this  loth  day  of  June  1806.  The  Condi 
tion  of  the  above  obligation  is  such  that  whereas  there  is  a  mar 
riage  shortly  intended  between  the  above  bound  Thomas  Lincoln 
and  Nancy  Hanks  for  which  a  license  has  issued  now  if  there  be 
no  lawful  cause  to  obstruct  the  said  marriage  then  this  obligation 
to  be  Void  or  else  to  remain  in  full  force  &  Virtue  in  Law. 

THOMAS  LINCOLN     (Seal) 
Witness  JOHN  H.  PARROTT.  RICHARD  BERRY         (Seal) 


The  certificate  is  as  follows: 
Washington  County  ss. 

I   do  certify  that  on  the  22nd   day  of   September   1806   I 
solemnized  the  rites  of  matrimony  between  Thomas  Lincoln  and 


REV.  JESSE  HEAD  333 

Nancy  Hanks  according  to  the  rites  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

JESSE  HEAD,  D.  M.  E.  C. 

The  above  are  sworn  to  be  true  copies  as  follows: 
STATE  OF  KENTUCKY 
WASHINGTON  COUNY 

I,  W.  F.  Booker,  Clerk  of  the  Washington  County  Court,  do 
certify  that  the  within  is  a  true  copy  of  the  marriage  bond,  as  well 
as  of  the  marriage  certificate  of  the  minister  of  the  marriage  of 
Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks,  as  shown  from  the  records  on 
file  in  my  office. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  of  office  as  Springfield,  Ky., 
this  I7th  day  of  December,  1878. 

W.  F.  BOOKER,  Clerk. 

By  this  certificate  which  is  now  published  for  the  first  time, 
it  appears  that  the  marriage  of  Lincoln's  parents  occurred  on 
September  23,  1806.  Lamon,  however,  states  that  the  first  child 
of  the  family  was  born  February  10,  1807 — a  girl  at  first  called 
Nancy,  and  subsequently,  on  the  death  of  her  mother,  Sarah. 
Search  for  this  certificate  was  made  in  La  Rue  County  some  time 
ago  by  a  man  named  Samuel  Haycraft,  but  without  success,  for 
the  obvious  reason  that  when  the  certificate  was  issued  Washing 
ton  County  included  La  Rue  County. 

NOTE  ON  THE  FOREGOING  ARTICLE 

The  article  above  is  of  remarkable  interest  and  appears  to 
have  escaped  notice  of  all  previous  authors.  We  are  not  yet  in 
formed  concerning  the  precise  date  of  the  discovery  of  this 
record.  It  is  safe  to  assume  a  slight  error  in  the  article  and  to 
be  reasonably  certain  that  Mr.  Browne  knew  of  the  discovery  of 
the  bond  and  return  of  the  minister  at  the  time  of  his  conference 
with  General  Bristow  in  Louisville  in  the  autumn  of  1878.  He 
could  hardly  have  been  so  confident  of  his  ability  to  furnish  a 
copy  of  these  documents  if  he  had  not  known  that  the  documents 
had  been  found.  Knowledge  of  their  existence  must  have  been 
common  property  in  Springfield  at  that  time,  but  neither  Mr. 
Browne  nor  Mr.  Booker  had  thought  of  giving  this  information 
to  the  press. 

The  publication  must  certainly  be  credited  to  General  Bristow. 

Benjamin  Helm  Bristow  was  born  in  Elkton,  Todd  County, 
Kentucky,  June  20,  1832,  and  was  graduated  from  Jefferson  Col 
lege,  Pennsylvania,  in  1851.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1853 


334     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

and  practiced  law  in  Kentucky.  On  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
War  he  entered  the  Union  Army  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the 
25th  Kentucky  Infantry,  and  distinguished  himself  on  the  battle 
field,  where  he  won  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  removed  to  Louisville,  where  in  1870  he  became 
law  partner  of  General  John  M.  Harlan.  In  1871  President  Grant 
appointed  him  Solicitor-General,  and  in  1874  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury.  At  the  Republican  National  Convention  in  1876  he 
received  on  the  first  ballot  123  votes,  the  largest  number  cast  for 
any  candidate  on  that  ballot  for  President  of  the  United  States. 
He  removed  to  New  York  City  where  he  practiced  law  until  his 
death  June  22,  1896. 

Attention  must  certainly  be  called  to  the  fact  that  in  attempt 
ing  to  issue  a  certificate  which  would  include  the  record  of  the 
Lincoln-Hanks  marriage  without  the  necessity  of  copying  all  the 
others  in  Jesse  Head's  return,  Mr.  Booker  made  the  very  serious 
mistake  of  taking  the  date  September  22,  1806  from  the  marriage 
next  recorded,  instead  of  June  12,  1806,  which  belonged  to  this 
marriage. 

It  may  also  be  added  that  if  Samuel  Haycraft's  failure  to 
find  the  certificate  could  have  been  attributed  to  so  obvious  a 
reason  as  that  "  when  the  certificate  was  issued,  Washington 
County  included  La  Rue  County,"  Samuel  Haycraft,  County 
Clerk  of  Hardin  County,  would  have  been  of  all  men  on  earth 
most  likely  to  remember  it.  Washington  County  at  that  time  did 
not  include  La  Rue ;  Hardin  County  included  La  Rue,  and  it  was 
in  Hardin  County  he  looked  for  the  record  of  the  marriage. 
Thomas  Lincoln  was  listed  as  a  tax-payer  in  Hardin  County 
before  his  marriage,  and  Nancy  Hanks  was  supposed  to  have 
lived  in  the  home  of  her  uncle,  Joseph  Hanks,  of  Elizabethtown 
where  Thomas  Lincoln  learned  his  trade.  The  explanation  of  the 
failure  to  find  the  record  is  entirely  intelligible;  but  if  it  had 
been  quite  so  "  obvious "  the  effort  would  not  have  failed. 

This  article  affirms  that  Lamon  intended  to  have  told  more 
than  he  did,  but  was  restrained  by  the  Lincoln  family,  and  by 
David  Davis  and  Leonard  Swett.  This  raises  the  question  what 
Lamon  would  have  told  had  he  not  been  restrained?  He  might 
have  elaborated  more  than  he  did,  and  said  a  little  more  plainly 
what  he  evidently  thought;  but  I  am  confident  he  told  all  he 
knew,  and  somewhat  more.  In  this  my  opinion  is  fully  sustained 
by  Mr.  Weik,  who  answers  my  inquiry  on  this  point: 


REV.  JESSE  HEAD  335 

Greencastle,  Ind.,  July  16,  1920. 
DEAR  DR.  BARTON: 

Your  letter  is  just  received.  Yes,  I  have  heard  the  story  that 
David  Davis  and  Leonard  Swett  kept  Ward  Lamon  from  reflect 
ing  on  Lincoln's  legitimacy.  Horace  White  and  Henry  C.  Whit 
ney  both  told  me  something  about  it;  but  the  truth  is  (and  I 
joined  them  in  the  belief)  neither  thought  Lamon  knew  very 
much  beyond  what  Herndon  had  told  him.  He  never  visited  Ken 
tucky  or  Indiana  in  pursuit  of  information — in  fact,  never  dug 
into  the  subject.  When  he  conceived  the  project  of  a  Life  of 
Lincoln,  he  simply  bought  and  copied  what  Herndon  had  so 
carefully  gathered,  and  he  essayed  to  write  the  book;  and  even 
then  he  did  not  write  the  book,  but  turned  the  material  over  to 
Chauncey  F.  Black  of  Pennsylvania,  who  did  the  required  work. 

I  have  never  seen  the  article  alluded  to  by  you  and  published 
in  the  N.  Y.  Tribune,  January  25,  1879,  but  would  be  delighted  if 
you  could  furnish  me  a  copy. 

My  understanding  has  been  that  inasmuch  as,  at  the  time 
Lamon  entered  upon  the  preparation  of  his  book,  he  was  unable 
to  locate  the  record  of  the  marriage  of  Thomas  Lincoln  and 
Nancy  Hanks,  and  fell  into  the  error  of  concluding  that  they  were 
not  married  at  all.  He  drank  a  good  deal,  and  his  reckless  talk 
doubtless  stirred  David  Davis  and  Leonard  Swett  into  believing 
that  he  was  in  possession  of  some  vital  and  possibly  damaging 
evidence.  Hence  their  so-called  attempt  to  bottle  him  up. 

Hastily, 

JESSE  W.  WEIK. 

My  own  opinion  is  in  complete  agreement  with  that  of  Mr. 
Weik,  that  Lamon  had  no  evidence  on  the  basis  of  which  he  could 
have  added  anything  of  importance  to  what  he  actually  wrote.  I 
am  confident  I  have  seen  all  that  Herndon  gave  to  Lamon  touch 
ing  this  matter,  and  much  that  he  wrote  subsequently  which 
Lamon  never  saw;  and  Mr.  Weik  has  wider  experience  with 
regard  to  the  Herndon  manuscripts  than  any  one  else. 


APPENDIX  II 

WITNESSES  TO  THE  MARRIAGE  OF  THOMAS 
LINCOLN  AND  NANCY  HANKS 

I.     AFFIDAVIT    AND    STATEMENT    OF    DR.    CHRISTOPHER    COLUMBUS 

GRAHAM 

The  following  affidavit  by  Dr.  Graham  was  procured  by  Cap 
tain  J.  W.  Wartman,  Deputy  Clerk  of  the  United  States  Circuit 
Court  at  Evansville,  Indiana,  in  whose  home  Dr.  Graham  was 
visiting  at  the  time: 

I,  Christopher  C.  Graham,  now  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  aged 
ninety-eight  years,  on  my  oath  say:  That  I  was  present  at  the 
marriage  of  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks,  in  Washington 
County,  near  the  town  of  Springfield,  Kentucky;  that  one  Jesse 
Head,  a  Methodist  preacher  of  Springfield,  Kentucky,  performed 
the  ceremony.  I  knew  the  said  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy 
Hanks  well,  and  know  the  said  Nancy  Hanks  to  have  been 
virtuous  and  respectable,  and  of  good  parentage.  I  do  not  remem 
ber  the  exact  date  of  the  marriage,  but  was  present  at  the  mar 
riage  aforesaid;  and  I  make  this  affidavit  freely,  and  at  the  re 
quest  of  J.  W.  Wartmann,  to  whom,  for  the  first  time,  Lhave 
this  day  incidentally  stated  the  fact  of  my  presence  at  the  said 
wedding  of  President  Lincoln's  father  and  mother.  I  make  this 
affidavit  to  vindicate  the  character  of  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy 
Hanks,  and  to  put  to  rest  forever  the  legitimacy  of  Abraham 
Lincoln's  birth.  I  was  formerly  proprietor  of  Harrodsburgh 
Springs;  I  am  a  retired  physician,  and  am  now  a  resident  of 
Louisville,  Kentucky.  I  think  Felix  Grundy  was  also  present 
at  the  marriage  of  said  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks,  the 
father  and  mother  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  The  said  Jesse  Head, 
the  officiating  minister  at  the  marriage  aforesaid,  afterward  re 
moved  to  Harrodsburgh,  Kentucky,  and  edited  a  paper  there, 
and  died  at  that  place. 

CHRISTOPHER  COLUMBUS  GRAHAM. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  this  March  20,  A.D.  1882. 
N.  C.  Butler,  Clerk  United  States  Circuit  Court,  First  District, 
Indiana.  By  J.  W.  Wartmann,  Deputy  Clerk. 

336 


WITNESSES  TO  LINCOLN  MARRIAGE    337 


2.     DETAILED    STATEMENT    OF    CHRISTOPHER    COLUMBUS    GRAHAM. 

The  foregoing  was  published,  and  led  to  a  further  statement 
which  Dr.  Graham  made  two  years  later  to  Mr.  Henry  Whitney 
Cleveland  by  Dr.  Graham,  written  by  Mr.  Cleveland,  and  signed 
by  Dr.  Graham.  It  was  published  in  the  Louisville  Courier- 
Journal  and  in  other  papers,  and  has  appeared  in  Miss  TarbelPs 
Life  of  Lincoln  and  in  other  books: 


DR.  GRAHAM'S  STATEMENT 

I,  Christopher  Columbus  Graham,  now  in  my  hundredth  year, 
and  visiting  the  Southern  Exposition  in  Louisville,  where  I  live, 
tell  this  to  please  my  young  friend  Henry  Cleveland,  who  is  nearly 
half  my  age.  He  was  often  at  the  Springs  Hotel  in  Harrodsburg, 
Kentucky,  then  owned  and  kept  by  me  for  invalids  and  pleasure- 
seekers.  I  am  one  of  the  two  living  men  who  can  prove  that 
Abraham  Lincoln,  or  Linkhorn,  as  the  family  was  miscalled,  was 
born  in  lawful  wedlock,  for  I  saw  Thomas  Lincoln  marry  Nancy 
Hanks  on  the  twelfth  day  of  June,  1806.  He  was  born  at  what 
was  then  known  as  the  Rock  Spring  Farm — it  is  now  called  the 
Creal  Place — three  miles  south  of  Hodgensville,  in  Larue  County, 
Kentucky. 

Kentucky  was  first  a  county  of  Virginia  after  its  settlement, 
and  then  was  divided  into  three  counties ;  and  these,  again  divided, 
are  pretty  much  the  present  State.  The  first  historian  was  Filson, 
who  made  and  published  the  first  map  of  the  separate  territory, 
with  the  names  of  streams  and  stations  as  given  by  Daniel  Boone 
and  Squire  Boone,  James  Harrod,  and  others.  I  knew  all  of 
these,  as  well  as  President  Lincoln's  parents. 

I  think  they  lived  on  the  farm  four  years  after  he  was  born. 
Another  boy  was  born  in  Hodgensville,  or,  I  should  say,  buried 
there.  The  sister,  Sally,  was  older  than  Abe,  I  think.  I  think 
the  paper  now  owned  by  Henry  Cleveland  is  the  "  marriage 
lines "  written  by  Rev.  Jesse  Head,  a  well-known  Methodist 
preacher.  I  do  not  think  the  old  Bible  it  was  found  in  was  that 
of  Tom  Lincoln.  It  would  cost  too  much  for  him.  All  of  the 
records  in  it  were  those  of  the  father's  family — the  John  M. 
Hewetts — of  the  wife  of  Dr.  Theodore  S.  Bell.  Dr.  Bell  was 
only  about  twenty  years  younger  than  I  am,  and  probably  got 
the  certificate  in  1858  or  1860,  when  assertions  were  made  that 
Tom  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks  were  not  married  when  Abe 
was  born. 


338     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

He  was  reputed  to  have  been  born  February  12,  1809,  and  I 
see  no  good  reason  to  dispute  it.  Sally,  I  am  sure,  was  the  first 
child,  and  Nancy  was  a  fresh  and  good-looking  girl — I  should 
say  past  twenty.  Nancy  lived  with  the  Sparrow  family  a  good 
bit.  It  was  likely  Tom  had  the  family  Bible  from  Virginia, 
through  his  father,  called  Abraham  Linkhorn.  His  brothers, 
however,  were  older — if  they  were  brothers,  and  not  uncles,  as 
some  say.  I  was  hunting  roots  for  my  medicines,  and  just  went 
to  the  wedding  to  get  a  good  supper,  and  got  it. 

Bibles  cost  as  much  as  the  spinning-wheel,  or  loom,  or  rifle, 
and  were  imported  in  the  main.  A  favorite  with  the  Methodists 
was  Fletcher's,  or  one  he  wrote  a  preface  for.  Preachers  used  it, 
and  had  no  commentaries.  A  book  dedicated  to  King  James  or 
any  other  king  did  not  take  well  in  Revolutionary  times.  The 
Bibles  I  used  to  see  had  no  printed  records  or  blanks,  but  a  lot 
of  fine  linen  hand-made  paper  would  be  bound  in  front  or  back. 
On  this,  family  history  and  land  matters  were  written  out  fully 
like  a  book.  Some  had  fifty  pages.  The  court-houses  even  were 
made  of  logs,  and  the  meeting-houses  too,  if  they  had  any.  No 
registers  were  kept  as  in  English  parish  churches,  and  are  not 
yet.  Before  a  license  could  be  had,  a  bond  and  security  was 
taken  of  the  bridegroom,  and  the  preacher  had  to  return  to  the 
court  all  marriages  of  the  year.  This  was  often  a  long  list,  and 
at  times  papers  were  lost  or  forgotten,  but  not  often.  The 
"  marriage  lines  "  given  by  the  preacher  to  the  parties  were  very 
important  in  case  the  records  were  burned  up  by  accident.  Such 
is  the  paper  that  Henry  Cleveland  has  shown  to  me.  The  ring 
was  not  often  used,  as  so  few  had  one  to  use.  The  Methodist 
Church  discipline  forbid  "  the  putting  on  of  gold  or  costly 
apparel,"  and  I  think  a  preacher  with  a  gold  watch — if  not  an 
inherited  one — would  have  been  dismissed.  A  preacher  that 
married  was  "  located,"  and  that  ended  his  itinerancy  in  the 
Methodist  Church.  The  Presbyterians  were  educated  and  mar 
ried  ;  Baptists  not  educated. 

Tom  Lincoln  was  a  carpenter,  and  a  good  one  for  those  days, 
when  a  cabin  was  built  mainly  with  the  ax,  and  not  a  nail  or 
bolt  or  hinge  in  it,  only  leathers  and  pins  to  the  door,  and  no 
glass,  except  in  watches  and  spectacles  and  bottles.  Tom  had 
the  best  set  of  tools  in  what  was  then  and  now  Washington 
County.  LaRue  County,  where  the  farm  was  settled,  was  then 
Hardin. 

Jesse  Head,  the  good  Methodist  preacher  that  married  them, 
was  also  a  carpenter  or  cabinet-maker  by  trade,  and  as  he  was 
then  a  neighbor,  they  were  good  friends.  He  had  a  quarrel  with 
the  bishops,  and  was  not  an  itinerant  for  several  years,  but  an 


WITNESSES  TO  LINCOLN  MARRIAGE    339 

editor,  and  county  judge  afterwards,  in  Harrodsburg.  Mr. 
Henry  Cleveland  has  his  commission  from  Governor  Isaac 
Shelby. 

Many  great  men  of  the  South  and  North  were  then  opposed 
to  slavery,  mainly  because  the  new  negroes  were  as  wild  as  the 
Indians,  and  might  prove  as  dangerous.  Few  of  the  whites  could 
read,  and  yet  Pope  and  Dryden  and  Shakespeare  were  as  well 
known  as  Bunyan's  Pilgrim's  Progress  and  Baxter's  Saints'  Rest. 
Some  were  educated  in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  before  they 
came,  and  these,  when  they  became  teachers,  wrote  out  their 
school-books  entirely  by  hand. 

Thomas  Lincoln,  like  his  son  after  him,  had  a  notion  that 
fortunes  could  be  made  by  trips  to  New  Orleans  by  flatboat.  This 
was  dangerous,  from  snags  and  whirlpools  in  the  rivers,  from 
Indians,  and  even  worse — pirates  of  the  French,  Canadians,  and 
half-breeds.  Steam  was  unknown,  and  the  flats  had  to  be  sold 
in  New  Orleans,  as  they  could  not  be  rowed  back  against  the 
currents.  The  neighbors  joked  Tom  for  building  his  boat  too 
high  and  narrow,  from  an  idea  he  had  about  speed,  that  has  since 
been  adopted  by  ocean  steamships.  But  he  lacked  in  ballast. 
He  loaded  her  up  with  deer  and  bear  hams  and  buffalo,  which 
last  was  then  not  so  plenty  for  meat  or  hides  as  when  the  Boone 
brothers  came  in.  Besides,  he  had  wax,  for  bees  seemed  to  follow 
the  white  people,  and  he  had  wolf  and  coon  and  mink  and  beaver 
skins,  gentian  root  (that  folks  then  called  "  gensang "  or 
:<'sang"),  nuts,  honey,  peach-brandy  and  whisky,  and  jeans 
woven  by  his  wife  and  Sally  Bush,  that  he  married  after  Nancy 
died.  Some  said  she  died  of  heart  trouble,  from  slanders  about 
her  and  old  Abe  Enloe,  called  Innlow,  while  her  Abe,  named 
for  the  pioneer  Abraham  Linkhorn,  was  still  little.  But  I  am 
ahead  of  my  story,  for  Nancy  had  just  got  married  where  I  was 
telling  it,  and  the  flatboat  and  Sally  Bush  Lincoln  come  in  before 
he  goes  over  to  what  people  called  "  Indiany."  I  will  finish  that, 
and  then  go  back. 

He  started  down  Knob  Creek  when  it  was  flush  with  rains; 
but  the  leaves  held  water  like  a  sponge,  and  the  ground  was 
shaded  with  big  trees  and  papaw  and  sassafras  thickets  and 
"  cain,"  as  Bible-read  folks  spelt  the  cane,  and  streams  didn't 
dry  up  in  summer  like  they  do  now.  When  he  got  to  the  Ohio 
it  was  flush,  too,  and  full  of  whirlpools  and  snags.  He  had  his 
tool-chest  along,  intending  to  stop  and  work  in  Indiana  and  take 
down  another  boat.  But  he  never  got  to  the  Mississippi  with 
that,  for  it  upset,  and  he  only  saved  his  chest  and  part  of  his  load 
because  he  was  near  to  the  Indiana  shore.  He  stored  what  he 
saved  under  bark,  and  came  home  a-f  oot,  and  in  debt  to  neighbors 


840    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

who  had  helped  him.  But  people  never  pressed  a  man  that  lost 
by  Indians  or  water. 

Now  I  go  back  for  a  spell.  Thomas  and  Nancy  both  could 
read  and  write,  and  little  Abe  went  to  school  about  a  year.  He 
was  eight  years  old  at  the  time  of  the  accident  to  Tom  Lincoln's 
down-the-river  venture.  Thomas  and  Nancy  were  good  common 
people,  not  above  nor  below  their  neighbors,  and  I  did  not  take 
much  notice  of  them,  because  there  was  no  likelihood  that  their 
wedding  would  mean  more  than  other  people's  did. 

The  preacher  Jesse  Head  often  talked  to  me  on  religion  and 
politics,  for  I  always  liked  the  Methodists.  I  have  thought  it 
might  have  been  as  much  from  his  free-spoken  opinions  as  from 
Henry  Clay's  American-African  colonization  scheme  in  1817,  that 
I  lost  a  likely  negro  man,  who  was  leader  of  my  musicians.  It 
is  said  that  Tom  Corwin  met  him  in  Ohio  on  his  way  to  Canada, 
and  asked  if  I  was  along.  The  boy  said  no,  he  was  going  for 
his  freedom.  Governor  Corwin  said  he  was  a  fool ;  he  had  never 
been  whipped  or  abused,  but  dressed  like  a  white  man,  with  the 
best  to  eat,  and  that  hundreds  of  white  people  would  be  glad  of 
such  a  good  place,  with  no  care,  but  cared  for. 

The  boy  drew  himself  up  and  said :  "  Marse  Tom,  that 
situation  with  all  its  advantages  is  open  to  you,  if  you  want  ter 
go  an'  fill  it." 

But  Judge  Head  never  encouraged  any  runaway,  nor  had  any 
"  underground  railroad."  He  only  talked  freely  and  boldly,  and 
had  plenty  of  true  Southern  men  with  him,  such  as  Clay.  The 
Eli  Whitney  cotton-gin  had  now  made  slavery  so  valuable  that 
preachers  looked  in  Hebrew  and  Greek  Testaments  for  scripture 
for  it. 

Tom  Lincoln  and  Nancy,  and  Sally  Bush  were  just  steeped 
full  of  Jesse  Head's  notions  about  the  wrong  of  slavery  and  the 
rights  of  man  as  explained  by  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Thomas 
Paine.  Abe  Lincoln  the  Liberator  was  made  in  his  mother's 
womb  and  father's  brain  and  in  the  prayers  of  Sally  Bush ;  by 
the  talks  and  sermons  of  Jesse  Head,  the  Methodist  circuit  rider, 
assistant  county  judge,  printer-editor,  and  cabinet-maker.  Little 
Abe  grew  up  to  serve  as  a  cabinet-maker  himself  two  Presidential 
terms. 

It  was  in  my  trip  to  Canada  after  my  negro  that  I  met  the 
younger  brother  of  the  great  chief  Tecumseh.  A  mob  wanted 
to  kill  me  because  I  was  after  my  property  that  had  legs  and 
a  level  head.  The  Indian  was  one  of  the  finest-looking  men  I 
ever  saw,  and  in  the  full  uniform  of  a  British  officer.  He  pro 
tected  me,  and  we  had  a  talk  after  the  danger  was  over.  He 
said  that  history  was  right  about  the  death  of  his  great  brother 


WITNESSES  TO  LINCOLN  MARRIAGE    341 

Tecumseh  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames  in  1813.  But  the  story 
of  his  skin  being  taken  off  by  soldiers  to  make  razor-straps  was 
all  a  lie,  as  they  never  had  the  chance.  He  was  not  even  slain 
at  the  point  in  the  battle  indicated  by  Colonel  Richard  M.  Johnson, 
whose  accession  to  the  Vice-Presidency  in  1836  was  largely  due 
to  the  credit  which  he  gained  for  this  supposed  exploit.  My 
Indian  protector  said  he  was  a  lad  at  the  time,  but  [was]  there; 
and  that  the  red  men  never  abandoned  their  chiefs,  dead  nor  alive. 

I  come  back  again  to  the  Lincoln-Hanks  wedding  of  1806. 
Rev.  or  Judge  Jesse  Head  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  men 
there,  as  he  was  able  to  own  slaves,  but  did  not  on  principle. 
Next,  I  reckon,  came  Mordecai  Lincoln,  at  one  time  member  of 
the  Kentucky  legislature.  He  was  a  good  Indian  fighter;  and 
although  some  say  he  was  the  elder  brother  of  Tom  Lincoln,  I 
understood  he  was  his  uncle,  or  father's  brother.  The  story  of 
his  killing  the  Indian  who  killed  old  Abraham  Linkhorn  is  all 
"my  eye  and  Betty  Martin." 

My  acceptance  of  this  whole  pedigree  is  on  hearsay,  and  none 
of  it  from  the  locality  of  Tom  Lincoln's  home.  There  is  a  Vir 
ginia  land  warrant,  No.  3,334,  of  March  4,  1780,  for  four  hun 
dred  acres  of  land,  cost  one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds,  located 
in  Jefferson  County,  Kentucky,  on  Long  Run;  and  signed  by 
William  Shanon,  D.  S.  J.  C.,  and  William  May,  S.  J.  C,  witnessed 
by  Ananiah  Lincoln  and  Josiah  Lincoln,  C.  C.  (chain-carriers), 
and  Abraham  Linkhorn,  Marker,  dated  May  7,  1785,  five  years 
later.  "  Mordecai  Lincoln,  Gentleman,"  is  the  title  given  one 
who  died  in  Berks  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1735,  and  his  will 
is  recorded  in  the  Register's  office  in  Philadelphia.  New  Jersey, 
Virginia,  and  Tennessee  also  have  the  name  correctly,  in  the 
last  century.  The  fame  of  General  Benjamin  Lincoln  of  the 
Revolution  was  on  every  tongue  at  that  time.  In  the  field-book 
of  Daniel  Boone,  owned  by  Lyman  C.  Draper,  five  hundred 
acres  of  land  was  entered  for  Abraham  Lincoln  on  treasury  war 
rant  No.  5,994,  December  u,  1782.  The  officers  of  the  land- 
office  of  Virginia  could  spell,  and  so  could  the  surveyor  and 
deputy  surveyor  (Record  "  B,"  p.  60  of  Jefferson  County  in 
1785).  The  two  chain-carriers  spelled  the  name  correctly.  Why 
not  also  think  that  the  third  man  spelled  his  correctly?  A  very 
illiterate  man  could  pronounce  what  he  could  not  spell,  and 
Abraham  Linkhorn,  who  had  money  and  could  write,  knew  his 
own  name.  President  Lincoln  told  James  Speed :  "  I  don't  know 
who  my  grandfather  was,  and  am  more  concerned  to  know  what 
his  grandson  will  be."  I  am  not  sure  that  we  know,  either,  per 
fectly  yet. 

While  you  pin  me  down  to  facts  I  will  say  that  I  saw  Nancy 


342     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Hanks  Lincoln  at  her  wedding,  a  fresh-looking  girl,  I  should 
say  over  twenty.  Tom  was  a  respectable  mechanic  and  could 
choose,  and  she  was  treated  with  respect.  .  .  . 

I  was  at  the  infare,  too,  given  by  John  H.  Parrott,  her 
guardian,  and  only  girls  with  money  had  guardians  appointed  by 
the  court.  We  had  bear-meat  (that  you  can  eat  the  grease  of, 
and  it  not  rise  like  other  fats)  ;  venison;  wild  turkey  and  ducks; 
eggs,  wild  and  tame  (so  common  that  you  could  buy  them  at 
two  bits  a  bushel) ;  maple  sugar,  swung  on  a  string,  to  bite  off 
for  coffee  or  whisky;  syrup  in  big  gourds;  peach-and-honey ; 
a  sheep  that  the  two  families  barbecued  whole  over  coals  of 
wood  burned  in  a  pit,  and  covered  with  green  boughs  to  keep 
the  juices  in;  and  a  race  for  the  whisky  bottle.  The  sheep  cost 
the  most,  and  corn  was  early  raised  in  what  is  now  Boyle  County, 
at  the  Isaac  Shelby  place.  I  don't  know  who  stamped  in  the  first 
peach-seed,  but  they  grew  before  the  apples.  Our  table  was  of 
the  puncheons  cut  from  solid  logs,  and  on  the  next  day  they 
were  the  floor  of  the  new  cabin. 

It  is  all  stuff  about  Tom  Lincoln  keeping  his  wife  in  an  open 
shed  in  a  winter  when  the  wild  animals  left  the  woods  and  stood 
in  the  corners  next  the  stick-and-clay  chimneys,  so  as  not  to 
freeze  to  death;  or,  if  climbers,  got  on  the  roof.  The  Lincolns 
had  a  cow  and  calf,  milk  and  butter,  a  good  feather  bed,  for  I 
have  slept  in  it  (while  they  took  the  buffalo  robes  on  the  floor, 
because  I  was  a  doctor).  They  had  home-woven  "  kiverlids," 
big  and  little  pots,  a  loom  and  wheel;  and  William  Hardesty, 
who  was  there  too,  can  say  with  me  that  Tom  Lincoln  was  a  man 
and  took  care  of  his  wife. 

I  have  been  in  bark  camps  with  Daniel  and  Squire  Boone  and 
James  Harrod.  We  have  had  to  wade  in  the  "  crick,"  as  Daniel 
spelt  it,  to  get  our  scent  lost  in  the  water,  and  the  Indian  dogs 
off  our  trail.  When  trailed  and  there  was  no  water  handy,  I 
have  seen  Daniel  cut  a  big  grapevine  loose  at  the  bottom,  with  his 
tomahawk,  from  the  ground.  Then,  with  a  run  and  swing  from 
the  tree  it  hung  to,  swing  and  jump  forty  feet  clear,  to  break 
the  scent  on  the  ground.  I  have  done  it  too,  but  not  so  far. 
He  could  beat  any  man  on  the  run  and  jump,  but  it  took  more 
than  two  Indians  or  one  bear  to  make  him  do  it.  If  no  dog 
barked  in  the  silent  woods,  we  could  run  backward  very  fast, 
and  make  Mr.  Indian  think  we  had  gone  the  way  we  came.  They 
went  that  way,  and  we  the  other  for  deer  scalps  and  hair, 
Squirrels  barking  or  chattering  at  Indians,  or  dogs,  often  told 
us  of  our  danger.  I  wanted  to  have  a  pioneer  exhibit  at  the  great 
Louisville  Southern  Expositions  of  1883  and  1884.  I  wanted 
the  dense  laurel  and  the  pawpaw  thickets  planted  in  rich  soil ;  the 


WITNESSES  TO  LINCOLN  MARRIAGE    343 

bear  climbing  the  bee-tree,  and  beaten  by  the  swinging  log  hung 
by  the  hunter  in  his  way ;  the  creeping  Indian  with  his  tomahawk, 
and  the  hunter  with  the  old  flint-and-steel  rifle,  just  as  I  had 
seen  them.  Then  I  wanted  to  have  women  from  the  mountains 
and  the  counties  that  railroads  and  turnpikes  have  not  opened, 
and  have  them  in  real  life,  to  spin  and  weave,  or  bead  and 
fringe  the  moccasin  and  hunting-shirt  and  leggings  as  they  did 
when  I  was  a  boy.  This,  by  the  side  of  the  industries  and  arts 
of  the  new  era,  and  the  wool  and  cotton  machinery  in  its  present 
perfection,  would  indeed  tell  to  the  eyes  of  the  changes  seen 
by  an  old  man  who  has  lived  a  hundred  years.  As  they  did  not 
listen  to  me,  I  have  asked  Henry  Cleveland,  who  was  a  boy 
and  played  with  my  little  children  at  the  Harrodsburg  Springs 
in  the  forties,  to  write  it  as  I  talked  to  him.  I  am  very  deaf, 
but  can  see  and  talk,  and  will  now  write  my  autograph  to  what 
he  has  written  and  copied  off,  and  will  take  up  James  Harrod 
at  another  time. 

CHRISTOPHER  COLUMBUS  GRAHAM 

in  my  loodrth  year. 


3.     STATEMENT  OF   MRS.  C.  S.   H.  VAWTER 

An  important  independent  witness  to  the  marriage  of  Thomas 
and  Nancy  Lincoln  is  revealed  in  the  testimony  of  Mrs.  C.  S.  H. 
Vawter,  who  published  a  communication  in  the  Louisville  Courier 
of  April  18,  1874,  saying: 

In  the  year  1859  I  went  to  Springfield,  Ky.,  to  teach,  and 
was  in  the  same  neighborhood  when  Lincoln  received  the  nomi 
nation  for  President.  On  the  announcement  of  the  news  of 
the  candidate  all  were  on  the  qui  inve  to  know  who  the  stranger 
was,  so  unexpectedly  launched  on  a  perilous  sea.  A  farmer 
remarked  that  he  should  not  be  surprised  if  this  was  the  son 
of  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks,  who  were  married  at 
the  home  of  Uncle  Frank  Berry.  In  a  short  time  this  suppo 
sition  of  the  farmer  was  confirmed  by  the  announcement  of  the 
father's  name. 

She  then  gives  details  of  the  wedding  as  she  gathered  them 
from  neighbors. 

It  will  be  noted  that  this  publication,  as  early  as  1874,  defi 
nitely  located  the  marriage  in  Washington  County.  Mrs.  Hitch 
cock  attributes  the  discovery  of  the  marriage  bond  to  the  publi- 


344     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

cation.  Miss  Tarbell  rather  credits  it  to  the  discussion  that 
followed  the  publication  of  the  affidavit  of  Dr.  Graham. 

In  this  Miss  Tarbell  is  mistaken.  The  affidavit  of  Dr.  Graham 
did  not  lead  to  the  discovery  of  the  marriage  record ;  for  the 
discovery  was  made  not  later  than  1878,  and  published  January 
25,  1879,  and  Dr.  Graham's  affidavit  is  dated  March  20,  1882, 
more  than  three  years  after  the  record  was  in  print. 

The  testimony  of  Dr.  Graham  is  not  without  value;  but  it 
would  have  been  worth  ten  times  as  much  if  it  had  been  pub 
lished,  as  Miss  Tarbell  supposed  that  it  had  been  published,  prior 
to  the  publication  of  the  discovery  of  the  record.  We  cannot  help 
asking  why,  if  Dr.  Graham  knew  all  this,  he  did  not  tell  it  sooner. 
The  fact  that  he  waited  does  not  discredit  his  evidence,  but  it 
makes  it  impossible  for  us  to  recognize  him  as  a  wholly  inde 
pendent  witness. 

Mrs.  Vawter,  however,  brings  to  us  testimony  which  possesses 
that  distinct  value.  Her  letter  was  published  April  18,  1874,  more 
than  four  years  before  the  publication  of  the  finding  of  the  mar 
riage  bond  and  return.  It  bears  irrefutable  witness  that  there 
existed,  in  Washington  County,  a  tradition,  supported  by  the 
testimony  of  truthful  people  who  claimed  to  have  been  eye 
witnesses,  that  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks  were  legally 
married,  and  that  in  Washington  County.  These  old  people  made 
that  statement  before  any  one  knew  that  there  was  any  record  of 
the  fact ;  and  they  agreed  that  the  marriage  occurred  in  the  house 
of  Richard  Berry,  the  very  man  whose  name  subsequently  ap 
peared  with  that  of  Thomas  Lincoln  on  the  bond.  Mrs.  Vawter 
is  a  much  more  important  witness  than  Dr.  Graham.  But  his 
testimony  is  in  full  accord  with  hers,  and,  while  it  is  evidently 
inaccurate  in  certain  minor  details,  it  is  in  its  essential  content  in 
accord  with  truth. 


APPENDIX  III 
THOMAS  LINCOLN  AS  A  LANDHOLDER 

I.     DID    HE   INHERIT    LAND   FROM    HIS    FATHER? 

The  grandfather  of  President  Abraham  Lincoln,  whose  name 
also  was  Abraham,  was  killed  by  an  Indian,  at  a  date  which  Lea 
and  Hutchinson  fix  conjecturally  as  in  the  early  summer  of  1785. 
Lincoln,  from  family  tradition,  gave  it  as  1784.  He  appears  to 
have  been  alive  and  to  have  acted  as  a  marker  in  the  survey 
of  his  tract  of  400  acres  in  Jefferson  County,  May  7,  1785. 

Thomas  Lincoln  was  five  years  old  when  his  father,  Abraham, 
was  murdered. 

Concerning  his  inheritance  in  his  father's  estate,  Lea  and 
Hutchinson,  who  do  not  appear  to  have  given  much  original 
investigation  to  that  part  of  their  otherwise  excellent  book,  say: 

Taking  advantage  of  the  old  English  law  of  primogeniture 
then  in  force  in  Kentucky,  the  two  elder  brothers  ousted  their 
infant  half-brother  from  all  his  rights  of  inheritance  in  his 
father's  estate,  his  own  mother,  Bathsheba,  being  then  almost 
certainly  dead,  or  we  may  be  sure  that  she  would  have  protected 
him  at  least  to  the  limit  of  her  own  dower  rights,  and  the 
unhappy  child  was  left  to  the  tender  mercies  of  strangers  in  a 
wilderness  swarming  with  savage  beasts  and  still  more  savage 
men.— (pp.  83-4.) 

The  three  sons  of  Abraham  Lincoln  were: 

1.  Mordecai  Lincoln,  born  probably  in  1764;  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  large  landed  proprietor;  sometime  sheriff  of  Wash 
ington  County;  removed  to  Howard  County,  Indiana,  and  about 
1828  to  Hancock  County,  Illinois,  where  he  died  in  1830.     He 
was  married,  and  had  three  sons,  Abraham,  James  and  Mordecai. 

2.  Josiah  Lincoln,  born  July  10,  1766;  removed  to  Harrison 
County,  Indiana,  where  he  died  in  1836.     He  was  married  and 
left  one  son,  Thomas  Lincoln,  late  of  Corydon,  Harrison  County, 
Indiana. 

3.  Thomas  Lincoln,  born  in  Rockingham  County,  Virginia, 

345 


346     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

January  28,  1780;  married,  June  12,  1806,  Nancy  Hanks ;  and  died 
near  Charleston,  Illinois,  December  2,  1849.  His  first  wife 
died  October  5,  1818,  and  he  married  Sarah  Bush  Johnston 
(December  2,  1819),  who  survived  him  and  died  April  10,  1869. 

The  Field  Book  of  Daniel  Boone  shows  an  entry  of  500  acres 
of  land  by  Abraham  Lincoln,  on  Treasury  Warrant  Number 
5994,  on  December  n,  1782.  The  land  was  located  on  Licking 
River,  A  facsimile  of  the  entry  is  in  Abraham  Lincoln:  A  His 
tory,  by  Nicolay  and  Hay,  I,  p.12. 

On  May  7,  1785,  a  survey  was  made  of  400  acres  of  land 
for  Abraham  Lincoln,  located  in  Jefferson  County,  on  Treasury 
Warrant  Number  3334.  He  himself  served  as  marker  at  this 
survey,  which  fixes  a  possible  limit  on  the  date  of  his  death. 
A  facsimile  of  the  surveyor's  certificate  is  given  in  Nicolay  and 
Hay,  supra,  I,  p.  14. 

As  yet  I  have  been  unable  to  determine  what  disposition 
Mordecai  Lincoln  made  of  all  his  large  landed  estate,  a  portion 
of  which  was  in  Hardin  County,  or  whether  he  inherited  it  all 
from  his  father,  and  whether  he  took  it  all  under  the  right  of 
primogeniture,  or  whether  he  acted  as  guardian  of  his  minor 
brother  Thomas  and  as  custodian  of  his  interests.  One  naturally 
conjectures  that  the  land  which  Thomas  Lincoln  appears  to  have 
owned  in  Hardin  County  in  1803  may  have  been  some  part  of 
his  father's  domain;  but  his  deed  to  Milton,  given  eleven  years 
later,  gives  the  name  of  John  Tom  Stator  as  the  man  from 
whom  he  acquired  it.  No  record  appears  to  show  why  Thomas 
Lincoln  lived  around  on  other  men's  farms  when  he  had  one 
of  his  own.  The  old  records  in  these  Kentucky  counties  were 
not  filed  systematically  and  many  of  them  are  hopelessly  lost. 
I  suppose  myself  to  have  made  a  much  more  diligent  search  than 
has  ever  been  made  before,  and  have,  of  course,  the  advantage 
of  all  that  has  previously  been  discovered ;  but  questions  remain 
unanswered.  The  men  who  have  kindly  assisted  me  in  these  re 
searches  in  several  Kentucky  counties  hold  out  little  hope  of  the 
discovery  of  more  papers.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  growing 
interest  and  some  fortunate  accident  may  later  lead  to  the  dis 
covery  of  some  document  which  thus  far  has  eluded  me.  I  give 
what  I  have  been  able  to  find. 


THOMAS  LINCOLN,  LANDHOLDER     347 

2.   THOMAS  LINCOLN'S  LAND  AS  MRS.  HITCHCOCK  IMAGINED  IT 

Mrs.  Hitchcock  says: 

Considering  the  disadvantages  under  which  he  labored,  he 
had  a  very  good  start  in  life  when  he  became  engaged  to  Nancy 
Hanks.  He  had  a  trade  and  owned  a  farm  which  he  had  bought 
in  1803  in  Buffalo,  and  also  land  in  Elizabethtown.  If  all  the 
conditions  of  his  life  be  taken  into  consideration,  it  is  not  true, 
as  has  been  said,  that  Thomas  Lincoln  was  at  this  time  a  shiftless 
or  purposeless  man. — Nancy  Hanks,  pp.  57-8. 

The  farm  which  Thomas  Lincoln  is  supposed  to  have  bought 
in  1803  was  not  the  farm  at  Buffalo,  which  is  the  farm  on 
Nolin  Creek,  where  Abraham  was  born.  Nor  did  he  own  any 
land  in  Elizabethtown.  We  did  not  know  how  he  obtained  money 
to  buy  his  land  on  Mill  Creek  in  1803,  but  he  abandoned  it  long 
before  he  occupied  the  land  near  Buffalo  in  1808. 

The  tax  lists  of  Washington  County  contain  the  names  of 
the  three  Lincoln  brothers,  Mordecai,  Josiah  and  Thomas.  Both 
Mordecai  and  Josiah  owned  land.  Josiah  had  100  acres,  Mor 
decai  had  275  acres  in  Washington,  940  in  Madison  and  1130 
acres  in  Hardin  Counties.  Mordecai  continued  to  acquire  land. 
Deed  Book  A,  of  Washington  County,  shows  the  transfer  from 
Terah  Templin  to  Mordecai  "  Linkhorn  "  of  600  acres  of  land 
on  "  Beech  Fork  River."  Terah  Templin  was  brother  of  Rev. 
Moses  Templin,  an  early  Presbyterian  minister,  who  appears  to 
have  written  the  deed.  It  is  a  deed  quite  unusual  in  its  language. 

But  while  the  two  older  brothers  had  land  in  abundance  and 
added  to  their  acreage,  Thomas  Lincoln  is  known  to  have  owned 
the  only  land  which  appears  to  have  been  the  farm  on  Mill  Creek 
which  he  acquired  five  years  before  his  marriage,  and  abandoned. 

He  may  have  been  wronged  out  of  his  inheritance  by  his 
older  and  designing  brothers,  but  any  one  who  really  wanted 
land  in  that  day  could  obtain  it. 

3.     THE  TITLE  TO  THE  LINCOLN   FARM 

The  ownership  of  the  farm  where  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
born  from  the  time  of  its  original  patent  to  the  present  is  given 
me  by  Mr.  Charles  F.  Creal  of  Hodgenville,  Kentucky,  as  follows : 

The  chain  of  title  from  the  Commonwealth  to  the  present 
owner,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  trace  it,  is  as  follows : 


348     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

1.  The  Commonwealth  of  Virginia  to  William  Greenough. 
At  a  date  unknown  to  me,  but  prior  to  July  29,  1786,  William 
Greenough  patented  30,000  acres,  that  is  to  say  he  was  granted 
a  patent  or  land  grant,  from  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia. 

2.  William  Greenough  to  Joseph  James.    By  deed  of  July  29, 
1786,  Greenough  conveyed  one  half  of  said  grant,  or  15,000  acres, 
to  Joseph  James  of  New  York  City. 

3.  Joseph  James  to  Richard  Mather.     On  June   n,   1798, 
Joseph  James  by  endorsement  on  the  deed  of  Greenough  trans 
ferred  his  right  and  title  to  Richard  Mather.     In  a  legal  pro 
ceeding  of  some  character  Charles  Helm  and  Samuel  Haycraft, 
Commissioners,  by  deed  of  date  February,  1817,  and  of  record 
in  the  office  of  the  County  Court  of  Hardin  County,  Kentucky, 
in  Deed  Book  F,  page  172,  conveyed  the  15,000  acres  to  Richard 
Mather. 

4.  Richard  Mather  to  William  Duckworth.    By  a  title  bond 
dated  March  19,  1814,  Richard  Mather  conveyed  100  acres  of 
land  to  William  Duckworth. 

5.  E.  Duckworth  to  Micajah  Middleton.     By  a  bond  still 
preserved,  E.  Duckworth  conveyed  to  Micapah  Middleton  300 
acres  "  on  which  William  Duckworth,  deceased,  formerly  lived." 

6.  Micajah  Middleton  to  Richard  Creal.     By  endorsement 
on  the  above  bond,  dated  July  21,  1828,  Micajah  Middleton  trans 
ferred  the  300  acres  to  my  grandfather,  Richard  Creal,  who  held 
that  portion  of  the  land  now  known  as  the  Lincoln  farm  down 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  when  it  passed  by  inheritance  to  his 
heirs. 

7.  Creal  Heirs  to  rA.  W.  Dennett.    My  father,  J.  C.  Creal, 
and  the  other  heirs  of  Richard  Creal,  conveyed  the  Lincoln  Farm 
to  Alfred  W.  Dennett  of  New  York  on  February  12,  1895. 

8.  Decretal  Sale  to  Robert  Collier  and  the  Lincoln  Farm 
Association.    Mr.  Dennett  attempted  to  convey  the  farm  to  the 
Christian  Missionary  Alliance,  but  his  trustee  in  bankruptcy  at 
tacked  the  conveyance  as  fraudulent;  and  in  a  proceeding  in 
the  Circuit  Court  of  this  County  the  conveyance  was  set  aside 
and  a  decree  entered  for  the  sale  of  the  farm.    At  the  decretal 
sale,  in  1904,  Robert  J.  Collier  was  the  purchaser.    He  conveyed 
it  to  the  Lincoln  Farm  Association,  which  was  organized  to  take 
over  the  property;  and  it  has   since  been  transferred  to  the 
Government. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  that  Thomas  Lincoln  had 


THOMAS  LINCOLN,  LANDHOLDER    349 

no  title  to  the  farm,  unless  it  may  have  been  a  verbal  contract 
or  written  land  bond  which  he  forfeited  by  non-payment.  It  is 
evident  from  the  above  that  Richard  Mather  had  at  least  the 
equitable  title  to  the  Lincoln  Farm  when  Thomas  Lincoln  lived 
here. 

4.     THE    MILL    CREEK    FARM 

The  only  land  which  Thomas  Lincoln  is  known  to  have 
owned  in  Kentucky  was  located  on  Mill  Creek  in  Hardin  County, 
and  title  was  obtained  from  John  Tom  Stator,  September  2,  1803. 
This  farm  so  far  as  known  was  not  identified  until  the  researches 
made  for  this  book.  Previous  writers  have  made  errors  with 
reference  to  it.  Lamon  and  Herndon  supposed  it  to  have  been 
the  Knob  Creek  farm.  Others  have  thought  it  the  farm  where 
Abraham  was  born.  Others  have  suggested  that  it  might  have 
been  land  adjacent  to  Elizabethtown,  and  that  Thomas  Lincoln's 
home  in  that  town  was  on  a  corner  of  it.  All  are  wrong.  Mill 
Creek  is  well  known,  and  the  farm  was  none  of  those  above 
suggested. 

This  land  was  deeded  by  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  to 
Charles  Milton,  October  27,  1814.  The  family  continued  to  live 
upon  the  farm  for  one  or  two  generations,  and  was  known  as 
"  Melton." 

The  County  Court  Clerk  of  Hardin  County,  Mr.  J.  L.  Irwin, 
was  copying  for  me  the  deed  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln, 
when  a  well-known  surveyor  of  the  county  came  in,  and  by 
comparison  of  the  boundaries  with  others  which  he  had  run, 
identified  the  Lincoln  farm.  I  am  informed  that  Mr.  Morgan 
is  a  thoroughly  reliable  surveyor.  Mr.  Irwin  writes : 

While  I  was  copying  this  deed,  Mr.  William  Morgan,  who 
was  sitting  in  here  and  who  has  done  a  great  deal  of  surveying 
over  the  county,  said  that  this  description  just  fits  the  boundaries 
of  the  Melton  land  on  Mill  Creek.  He  knew  the  land  and  the 
family,  but  the  family  are  now  all  dead  or  have  moved  away. 

5.     DEED   OF  THOMAS   AND   NANCY   LINCOLN   TO   CHARLES    MILTON 

This  Indenture  made  this  twenty  seventh  day  of  October  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  One  Thousand  eight  hundred  and  fourteen, 
between  Thos.  Lincoln  and  Nancy  his  wife  of  the  County  of 
Hardin  and  State  of  Kentucky,  of  the  one  part  and  Charles 


350     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Milton  of  the  county  and  state  aforesaid  of  the  other  part,  Wit- 
nesseth : 

That  the  said  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  his  wife,  hath  this 
day  granted,  bargained,  sold  and  by  these  presents  doth  grant, 
bargain,  sell,  alien  and  confirm  unto  the  said  Charles  Milton  a 
certain  tract  or  parcel  of  land  containing  two  hundred  acres,  for 
and  in  consideration  of  One  hundred  pounds  to  the  said 
Lincoln  and  Nancy,  his  wife,  in  hand  paid  by  the  said  Milton, 
the  receipt  whereof  is  acknowledged,  which  land  was  patented 
in  the  name  of  William  May  and  is  conveyed  from  John  Tom 
Stator  to  said  Lincoln  by  deed  bearing  date  the  2nd  day  of 
September  1803,  lying  and  being  in  the  said  County  of  Hardin 
on  Mill  Creek  and  bounded  as  follows,  to  wit: 

Beginning  at  a  hickory  corner  to  Robert  Huston's  survey,  part 
of  a  sixteen  hundred  acre  survey,  thence  south  thirty  degrees 
west  one  hundred  and  eighty  three  poles  to  a  stake,  corner  to 
Huston,  thence  north  forty  five  degrees  west  one  hundred  and 
fifty  five  poles  to  a  black  oak,  corner  to  the  original  survey,  north 
twenty  four  degrees  west  one  hundred  and  forty  poles  to  a  white 
oak  in  Shepherd's  line,  corner  to  the  original,  thence  north  thirty 
one  degrees  west  sixty  poles  to  a  dogwood,  white  oak  and  gum 
corner  to  Thomas  Williams  in  the  original  line,  thence  with 
Williams'  line  south  sixty  seven  east  two  hundred  and  fifty  poles 
to  a  white  oak  and  hickory,  south  thirty  one  degrees  west  twenty 
two  poles  to  the  beginning  which  courses  contains  two  hundred 
and  thirty  eight  acres,  and  the  said  Milton  is  at  liberty  to  take 
two  hundred  acres  out  of  the  said  two  hundred  and  thirty  eight 
acres  where  he  thinks  proper  and  the  said  Lincoln  and  Nancy 
his  wife  does  forever  warrant  and  defend  the  said  two  hundred 
acres-  of  land  from  themselves  and  their  heirs  executors,  admin 
istrators  or  assigns  forever,  to  the  said  Milton,  but  not  from  the 
claim  or  claims  of  any  other  person.  But  if  the  said  land  should 
be  lost  by  any  better  or  prior  claim,  then  the  said  Lincoln  is  to 
pay  to  the  said  Milton  the  sum  of  one  hundred  pounds.  In 
witness  whereof  the  Said  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy,  his  wife, 
hath  hereunto  set  their  hands  and  affixed  their  seal  the  day  and 
date  before  written.  Interlined  before  signing. 

THOMAS  LINCOLN  (seal) 
her 

NANCY    X     LINCOLN 

mark 
HARDIN  COUNTY  set. 

I  Samuel  Haycraft,  Jr.,  Deputy  Clerk  of  the  county  court 
for  the  county  aforesaid,  do  hereby  certify  that  on  the  day  of 
the  date  hereof,  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  his  wife,  personally 


THOMAS  LINCOLN,  LANDHOLDER    351 

appeared  before  me  and  acknowledged  the  within  indenture  or 
deed  of  bargain  and  sale  to  Charles  Milton  as  and  for  their 
voluntary  act  and  deed,  she  the  said  Nancy  being  at  the  same 
time  examined  by  me  separate  and  voluntarily  relinquished  her 
right  of  dower  which  she  has  or  may  have  in  and  to  the  land 
hereby  conveyed,  and  that  she  was  willing  the  same  should  be 
recorded  and  that  I  have  truly  recorded  the  same  this  27th  day 
of  October  1814. 

SAMUEL  HAYCRAFT,  JR.  D.C.,  H.C.C. 

Recorded  Deed  Book  E,  page  193. 

A  copy  attest, 

J.  L.  IRWIN,  Clerk  H.C.C. 

It  will  be  noted  in  the  above  deed  that  the  thirty-eight  acres 
was  apparently  abandoned.  Probably  Milton  had  another  deed 
with  the  same  boundaries  calling  for  two  hundred  acres,  and 
Thomas  Lincoln's  was  virtually  a  quit  claim.  No  attempt  was 
made  to  draw  any  boundary  line  between  the  two  hundred  acres 
conveyed  and  the  thirty-eight  acres  supposed  to  have  been  left 
over. 

6.  THE  DEED  OF  SLATER  TO  LINCOLN 

The  deed  of  John  Tom  Slater,  or  Stator,  to  Thomas  Lincoln 
shows  a  transfer  of  238  acres  of  land  to  Thomas  Lincoln  of 
Hardin  County,  Kentucky,  in  consideration  of  118  pounds,  paid 
in  cash.  The  deed  was  signed  and  sealed,  and  left  with  the 
Clerk  of  the  court  to  be  delivered,  and  it  remained  with  him  for 
nearly  eleven  years.  Apparently  Lincoln  abandoned  the  farm, 
and  did  not  trouble  to  take  the  deed  until  he  was  approached 
by  Milton  with  an  offer  for  his  equity  in  the  farm.  The  record 
shows  in  the  margin  the  following  entry: 

1814 — Apr.  23rd.    Delivered  to  Thomas  Lincoln. 

This  was  shortly  before  his  sale  to  Milton,  who  paid  two 
hundred  pounds,  or  made  some  payment  which  was  acknowl 
edged  as  the  equivalent  of  that  amount,  and  took  title  October 
27,  1812,  to  a  tract  of  land  with  the  same  general  boundaries, 
but  whose  acreage  was  stated  as  two  hundred.  The  deed  of 
Lincoln  to  Milton  stated  that  the  courses  called  for  two  hundred 
and  thirty-eight  acres,  and  he  was  at  liberty  to  take  the  two 
hundred  where  he  chose;  which  meant  that  Thomas  Lincoln 


352     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

sold  to  Milton  the  whole  tract,  but  did  not  guarantee  that  it 
contained  more  than  two  hundred  acres.  The  original  deed  is 
in  Deed  Book  B,  page  253,  Hardin  County  Deeds. 

This  indenture  made  this  2nd  day  of  September  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  three,  between  Dr.  John  F.  Slator  of  Green 
County  and  state  of  Kentucky,  of  the  one  part  and  Thomas  Lin 
coln  of  Hardin  County,  state  aforesaid  of  the  other  part  WIT- 
NESSETH :  That  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  one 
hundred  and  eighteen  pounds  in  hand  paid,  the  receipt  of  which 
before  the  signing  and  sealing  of  these  presents,  he  the  said  Dr. 
John  F.  Slator  doth  hereby  acknowledge  have  bargained  and  sold 
and  by  these  presents  doth  grant,  bargain  and  sell  unto  the  said 
Thomas  Lincoln  a  certain  tract  or  parcel  of  land  containing  two 
hundred  and  thirty-eight  acres,  part  of  the  1600  acre  survey 
patented  to  William  May,  bought  by  said  Slator  of  Joseph  Fen- 
wick  and  bounded  as  follows,  to  wit:  Beginning  at  a  hickory 
corner  to  Robert  Huston  survey,  part  of  said  1600  acre  survey, 
thence  South  thirty  degrees  west  one  hundred  and  eighty  three 
poles  to  a  stake  corner  to  Huston,  thence  North  forty  five  degrees 
West  one  hundred  and  fifty  five  poles  to  a  black  oak  corner  to 
the  original  survey  North  twenty  four  degrees  West  one  hundred 
and  forty  poles  to  a  white  oak  in  Shepherds  line  corner  to  the 
original,  thence  North  thirty  one  degrees  West  fifty  poles  to  a 
dogwood  white  oak  and  gum  corner  to  Thomas  Williams  in  the 
original  line,  thence  with  Williams  line  South  sixty  seven  East 
two  hundred  and  fifty  poles  to  a  white  oak  and  hickory  South  31 
degrees  West  twenty  two  poles  to  the  beginning. 

_  To  have  and  to  hold  the  above  mentioned  two  hundred  and 
thirty  eight  acres  of  land  with  all  its  appurtenances  barns,  stable, 
ways,  houses,  water  and  conveniences,  to  the  above  mentioned 
Thomas  Lincoln  his  heirs  executors  and  administrators  forever 
against  him,  the  said  Dr.  John  T.  Slator,  his  heirs  executors  or 
administrators  forever,  and  he  the  said  Dr.  John  F.  Slator  as  well 
for  his  heirs  as  for  himself  doth  further  covenant  and  agree  to 
and  with  the  said  Thomas  Lincoln  and  his  heirs  that  he  will  war 
rant  and  forever  defend  the  above  mentioned  two  hundred  and 
thirty  eight  acres  of  land  with  all  its  appurtenances  to  the  said 
Thomas  Lincoln  his  heirs  executors  and  administrators  forever 
to  their  only  proper  use  and  behoof,  against  him  the  said  Dr.  John 
T.  Slator  and  his  heirs  executors,  etc.  forever,  but  not  against 
the  claim  or  claims  of  any  other  person  or  persons  whatever,  but 
be  it  plainly  understood  should  said  land  be  taken  by  any  prior 
or  legal  claim,  then  the  above  bound  Dr.  John  T.  Slator  his  heirs 
executors  &c.,  to  pay  to  the  said  Thomas  Lincoln  his  heirs,  ex- 


THOMAS  LINCOLN,  LANDHOLDER    353 

ecutors  etc.,  the  above  mentioned  sum  of  one  hundred  and 
eighteen  pounds.  In  witness  of  the  above  bound  Dr.  John  T. 
Slator  doth  hereunto  set  his  hand  and  affix  his  seal  the  day  and 
date  above  written. 

JOHN  TOM  SLATOR     (Seal) 
Hardin  County: 

Set.  s.s. 

I  hereby  certify  that  on  the  second  day  of  September  last  this 
indenture. .  from  John  Tom  Slator  to  Thomas  Lincoln  was  ac 
knowledged  by  the  said  Slator  to  be  his  act  and  deed  and  the 
same  was  admitted  to  record  on  this  26th  day  of  November  1803. 

BENJAMIN  HELM,  H.C.C. 
A  copy  attest: — 

J.  L.  IRWIN, 

Clerk  H.C.C. 
Recorded  in  Deed  Book  "  B,"  page  253. 


7.   THE   KNOB   CREEK  FARM 

Of  this  farm,  Lamon,  relying  upon  Herndon's  researches, 
said: 

The  land  he  now  lived  upon  (two  hundred  and  thirty  eight 
acres)  he  had  pretended  to  buy  from  a  Mr.  Slater.1  The  deed 
mentions  a  consideration  of  one  hundred  and  eighteen  pounds. 
The  purchase  must  have  been  a  mere  speculation,  with  all  pay 
ments  deferred,  for  the  title  remained  in  Lincoln  but  a  single 
year.  The  deed  was  made  to  him,  September  2,  1813 ;  and 
October  27,  1814,  he  conveyed  two  hundred  acres  to  Charles 
Milton  for  two  hundred  pounds,  leaving  thirty  eight  acres  of 
the  tract  unsold.  No  public  record  discloses  what  he  did  with 
the  remainder.  If  he  retained  any  interest  in  it  for  the  time, 
it  Was  probably  permitted  to  be  sold  for  taxes.  The  last  of 
his  voluntary  transactions,  in  regard  to  this  land,  took  place  two 
years  before  his  removal  to  Indiana;  after  which,  he  seems  to 
have  continued  in  possession  as  the  tenant  of  Milton. — LAMON, 
Life  of  Lincoln,  p.  15. 

Lamon  is  completely  mistaken  about  this  farm.  Thomas 
Lincoln  had  no  title  to  the  Knob  Creek  farm,  so  far  as  records 

1The  name  is  given  in  the  deed  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  as 
Stator.  But  the  earlier  deed  to  Lincoln  gives  the  name  as  Slater,  which  I 
judge  to  be  correct.  But  the  deed  was  not  to  the  Knob  Creek  Farm. 


354     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

show.  The  farm  which  he  "  pretended  to  buy  "  from  Slater, 
was  bought  in  1803,  and  that  was  the  farm  which  he  and  Nancy 
sold  on  October  27,  1814.  It  was  located  on  Mill  Creek,  in 
that  part  of  Hardin  which  is  still  Hardin  County.  There  is  no 
evidence  that  Thomas  Lincoln  ever  lived  upon  it  after  his  mar 
riage.  He  may  have  lived  there  alone  or  with  some  fellow  pio 
neer  when  he  first  secured  title  in  1803,  when  he  was  twenty- 
three  years  old. 

The  record  of  ejectment  suit  on  the  Knob  Creek  Farm  is 
cited  in  the  chapter  on  Thomas  Lincoln. 

8.     THE    ELIZABETHTOWN    LOT 

On  September  8,  1829,  in  consideration  of  $123,  Thomas 
Lincoln  and  his  wife,  of  Spencer  County,  Indiana,  conveyed  to 
T.  J.  Wathen  a  lot  in  Elizabethtown,  sometimes  alleged  to  have 
been  the  lot  on  which  stood  the  log  cabin  to  which  Thomas 
Lincoln  took  his  bride  after  their  marriage,  June  12,  1806. 

Perhaps  the  money,  $123,  received  by  Thomas  and  Sarah 
Lincoln  from  the  sale  of  this  lot,  assisted  in  paying  the  balance 
due  on  the  eighty  acres  that  remained  of  his  Indiana  farm 
before  he  sold  it  to  Charles  Grigsby ;  or  he  may  have  invested  it  in 
oxen  for  the  removal  into  Illinois.  The  date  of  the  sale  would 
indicate  that  the  money  came  most  opportunely. 

This  deed  is  recorded  at  Elizabethtown,  Kentucky,  in  Deed 
Book  L,  page  219. 

When  the  author  discovered  that  Thomas  Lincoln  on  Sep 
tember  8,  1829,  sold  to  Thomas  J.  Wathen  of  Hardin  County, 
Kentucky,  at  lot  in  Elizabethtown,  the  county  seat  of  Hardin 
County,  he  was  happy  in  what  he  hoped  might  prove  an  indica 
tion  that  Thomas  Lincoln  took  Nancy  Hanks  to  spend  her  honey 
moon  with  him  in  a  house  which  though  primitive,  was  certainly 
his  own.  That  hope  was  doomed  to  disappointment.  So  far  as 
any  records  thus  far  discovered  show  Thomas  Lincoln  never 
had  or  gave  title  to  any  land  in  Elizabethtown.  The  lot  which 
he  and  Sarah  sold  for  $123.00  in  1829,  was  one-half  of  a  lot 
containing  one  and  a  quarter  acres,  and  had  never  belonged  to 
Thomas  Lincoln.  It  was  the  property  of  Sarah  Johnston  after 
the  death  of  her  first  husband.  The  lot  was  well  located,  and 
adjoined  the  Haycraft  residence.  It  was  sold  to  her  at  an  un 
known  date  by  Samuel  Haycraft,  Sr.  Her  first  husband  had  been 


THOMAS  LINCOLN,  LANDHOLDER    355 

the  jailer,  and  during  his  lifetime  they  probably  lived  either 
in  a  residence  adjacent  to  the  jail  and  owned  by  the  county, 
or  as  sometimes  happens  in  Kentucky  county  seats,  in  a  hotel. 
Some  early  Kentucky  jailers  found  it  profitable  to  operate  a 
hotel  as  well  as  a  jail.  To  this  deed  both  Thomas  and  Sarah 
Lincoln  made  their  mark. 

Samuel  Haycraft,  Sr.,  was  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
reputable  citizens  of  Elizabethtown.  The  deed  was  acknowledged 
before  Samuel  Haycraft,  Jr.,  for  many  years  clerk  of  the  County 
and  Circuit  courts.  He  was  the  man  with  whom  Abraham  Lin 
coln  corresponded  in  1860  with  reference  to  the  record  of  his 
parents'  marriage.  Mr.  Haycraft  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age.  He 
wrote  a  history  of  early  times  in  Hardin  County  which  was  pub 
lished  in  the  Elizabethtown  News  but  the  articles  have  never  been 
issued  in  book  form. 

This  indenture  made  this  8th  day  of  September  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  twenty  nine,  between 
Thomas  Lincoln  and  Sarah,  his  wife,  of  the  county  of  Spencer, 
and  state  of  Indiana,  of  the  one  part  and  Thomas  J.  Wathen  of 
the  county  of  Hardin  and  state  of  Kentucky,  of  the  other  part, 
witnesseth;  That  the  said  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Sarah  his  wife 
for  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
three  dollars  to  them  in  hand  paid  before  the  signing  and  sealing 
and  delivery  of  these  presents  the  receipt  whereof  in  hereby 
acknowledged,  have  this  day  granted,  bargained  and  sold,  and 
by  these  presents  do  grant,  bargain  and  sell  to  the  said  Thomas 
T.  Wathen  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever  one  undivided  moiety  or 
half  part  of  a  certain  lot  or  piece  of  ground  containing  one  acre 
and  one-quarter  lying  near  Elizabethtown,  adjoining  Samuel  Hay- 
craft,  or  the  lot  on  which  said  Haycraft  now  lives,  which  lot  is 
bounded  as  follows,  to  wit :  Beginning  about  four  feet  northeast 
of  the  southeast  corner  of  said  Haycraft  lot  running  thence 
South  seventy  degrees  East  twenty  poles  to  a  stake  thence  North 
thirty  one  degrees  West  twenty  two  poles  to  a  stake  in  a  line  of  said 
Haycraf  ts  lot,  thence  west  the  same  to  the  beginning.  The  moiety 
hereby  conveyed  to  be  taken  off  the  end  adjoining  said  Haycraft. 

To  have  and  to  hold  the  said  undivided  moiety  or  half  part 
of  the  aforesaid  lot  together  with  all  and  singular  the  appur 
tenances  thereunto  belonging  or  in  any  wise  appertaining  thereto 
to  the  said  Thomas  J.  Wathen  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever.  And 
the  said  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Sarah  his  wife,  do  further  covenant 
and  agree  to  and  with  the  said  Thomas  J.  Wathen  that  they  will 
forever  warrant  and  defend  the  aforesaid  undivided  half  part  of 


356    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

the  said  lot  with  its  appurtenances  from  the  claim  of  themselves 
their  heirs  and  every  other  person  or  persons  whomsoever  claims 
the  same.  The  said  lot  above  described  being  the  same  conveyed 
by  Samuel  Haycraft,  Sr.,  and  wife  to  said  Sarah  Lincoln  late 
Sarah  Johnson.  In  testimony  whereof,  the  said  Thomas  Lincoln 
and  Sarah  his  wife  have  hereunto  set  their  hands  and  seals  the 
day  and  year  above  written. 

his 

THOMAS  (x)  LINCOLN     (Seal) 
Attest :  mark 

G.  A.  F.  GEORGE  her 

SARAH  (x)  LINCOLN       (Seal) 

mark 
Commonwealth  of  Kentucky 

Hardin  County  s.s. 

I,  Samuel  Haycraft,  clerk  of  the  county  court,  for  the  county 
court  for  the  county  aforesaid,  do  hereby  certify  that  the  fore 
going  deed  from  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Sarah  his  wife,  to  Thomas 
J.  Wathen,  was  on  the  8th  day  of  September  1829  produced  to 
me  in  my  office  and  acknowledged  by  the  said  Thomas  Lincoln  as 
and  for  his  act  and  deed. 

And  the  said  Sarah  being  at  the  same  time  examined  by  me 
privately  and  apart  from  her  said  husband,  declared  that  she 
did  freely  and  willingly  seal  and  deliver  said  writing  and  wishes 
not  to  retract  it,  and  acknowledged  said  writing  again  shown 
and  explained  to  her  to  be  her  act  and  deed  and  consented  that 
the  same  may  be  recorded. 

Whereupon  the  same  is  duly  admitted  to  record  in  my  office. 
Given  under  my  hand  this  i8th  day  of  November  1829. 

SAMUEL  HAYCRAFT,  clerk. 
A  copy  attent: 

J.  L.  IRWIN, 

Clerk  H.C.C 
Recorded  in  Deed  Book  "  L,"  page  219. 

9.  THOMAS  LINCOLN'S  LAND  IN  INDIANA 

William  H.  Herndon  made  inquiry  concerning  Thomas  Lin 
coln's  title  to  land  in  Indiana  and  obtained  from  the  Commis 
sioner  of  the  General  Land  Office  information  concerning  the 
patent  that  was  issued  "  Thomas  Lincoln,  alias  Linckhern."  The 
letter  contained  the  following  information: 

In  reply  to  the  letter  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Herndon,  who  is  writing 
the  biography  of  the  late  President,  dated  June  19,  1865,  herewith 


THOMAS  LINCOLN,  LANDHOLDER    357 

returned,  I  have  the  honor  to  state,  pursuant  to  the  Secretary's 
reference,  that  on  the  fifteenth  of  October,  1817,  Mr.  Thomas 
Lincoln,  then  of  Perry  County,  Indiana,  entered  under  the  old 
credit  system, — 

1.  The  South-west  Quarter  of  Section  32,  in  Township  4, 
South  of  Range  5  West,  lying  in  Spencer  County,  Indiana. 

2.  Afterwards  the  said  Thomas  Lincoln  relinquished  to  the 
United  States  the  east  half  of  the  said  South-west  Quarter;  and 
the  amount  paid  thereon  was  passed  to  his  credit  to  complete 
payment  of  the  West  half  of  the  South-west  Quarter  of  Section 
32,  in  Township  4,  South  of  Range  5  West;  and  accordingly 
a  patent  was  issued  to  Thomas  Lincoln  for  the  latter  tract.    The 
patent  was  dated  June  6,  1827,  and  was  signed  by  John  Quincy 
Adams,  then  President  of  the  United  States,  and  countersigned 
by  George  Graham,  then  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land 
Office. 

Commenting  on  the  transaction,  Lamon  says: 

It  will  be  observed,  that,  although  Lincoln  squatted  upon  the 
land  in  the  fall  of  1816,  he  did  not  enter  it  until  October  of  the 
next  year.  And  that  the  patent  was  not  issued  to  him  until 
June,  1827,  but  a  little  more  than  a  year  before  he  left  it  alto 
gether.  Beginning  by  entering  a  full  quarter  section,  he  was 
afterwards  content  with  80  acres,  and  took  eleven  years  to  make 
the  necessary  payments  upon  that.  It  is  very  probable  that  the 
money  which  finally  secured  the  patent  was  furnished  by  Gentry 
or  Aaron  Grigsby,  and  the  title  passed  out  of  Lincoln  in  the 
course  of  the  transaction.  Dennis  Hanks  says: 

"  He  settled  on  a  piece  of  government  land, — eighty  acres. 
This  land  he  afterwards  bought  under  the  two  dollar  act;  was 
to  pay  for  it  in  installments;  one-half  he  paid,  the  other  half 
he  never  paid,  and  finally  lost  the  whole  of  the  land." — LAMON  : 
Life  of  Lincoln,  pp.  25-26. 


Lamon  says : 

On  the  first  day  of  March,  1830,  after  fifteen  days'  tedious 
and  heavy  travel,  they  arrived  at  John  Hanks'  house,  four  miles 
north-west  of  Decatur.  Here  John  Hanks  had  cut  some  logs 
in  1829,  which  he  now  gave  to  Lincoln  to  build  a  house  with. 
With  the  aid  of  John,  Dennis,  Abe,  and  Hall,  a  house  was 
erected  on  a  small  bluff,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  north  fork  of 


358    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

the  Sangamon.  Abe  and  John  took  the  four  yoke  of  oxen  and 
"  broke  up  "  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  then  split  rails 
enough  to  fence  it  in. — LAMON  :  Life  of  Lincoln,  p.  75. 

Concerning  the  land  near  Decatur  the  Circuit  Clerk  says : 

We  have  made  a  pretty  thorough  search  of  the  records  of 
this  office  from  1829,  the  beginning  of  the  County,  down  to  1840, 
during  which  time  we  do  not  find  anywhere  the  title  of  any 
property  vested  in  Thomas  Lincoln  or  Dennis  Hanks.  We  do, 
however,  find  numerous  conveyances  made  to  John  Hanks,  and 
to  various  other  people  by  the  name  of  Hanks.  For  instance 
we  find  upon  September  2,  1834,  John  Hanks  received  a  deed 
from  John  Tuttle  for  the  West  T/2  of  the  N.W.  %  of  Section  33, 
Township  17  North,  Range  2,  East  of  the  Third  Principal 
Meridian.  I  also  find  where  the  heirs  of  Joseph  Hanks  received 
a  deed  from  William  Hanks,  Senior,  for  the  East  %  of  the 
West  l/2  of  the  N.E.  *4  of  Section  22,  Township  16  North, 
Range  I  East  of  the  Third  Principal  Meridian.  This  is  a  small 
tract  of  land  very  close  to  the  place  where  Thomas  Lincoln 
erected  a  log  house  and  lived  during  his  stay  in  Macon  County. 

Thomas  Lincoln  and  Abraham  Lincoln  occupied  a  piece  of 
land  in  the  S.W.  *4  of  Section  28,  Township  16  North,  Range  I 
East  of  the  Third  Principal  Meridian,  which  is  about  two  and  a 
half  miles  south  of  the  site  of  the  present  village  of  Harristown; 
but  neither  Thomas  nor  Abraham  Lincoln  ever  held  title  to 
the  land.  At  that  time  it  belonged  to  the  government. 

JOHN  ALLEN,  Clerk  Circuit  Court,  Decatur,  111. 

10.   THOMAS  LINCOLN'S  FINAL  HOME  IN  ILLINOIS 
Lamon  says: 

It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  we  dismiss  Tom  Lincoln,  with 
his  family  and  fortunes,  from  further  consideration  in  these 
pages.  After  Abraham  left  him,  he  moved  at  least  three  times 
in  search  of  a  "  healthy  "  location,  and  finally  got  himself  fixed 
near  Goose  Nest  Prairie,  in  Coles  County,  where  he  died  of  a 
disease  of  the  kidneys,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-three.  The 
little  farm  (forty  acres)  upon  which  his  days  were  ended,  he 
had,  with  his  usual  improvidence,  mortgaged  to  the  School  Com 
missioners  for  two  hundred  dollars, — its  full  value.  Induced  by 
love  for  his  step-mother,  Abraham  had  paid  the  debt  and  taken 
a  deed  for  the  land,  "  with  a  reservation  of  a  life-estate  therein, 
to  them,  or  the  survivor  of  them."  At  the  same  time  (1841) 
he  gave  a  helping  hand  to  John  Johnston,  binding  himself  to 


THOMAS  LINCOLN,  LANDHOLDER    359 

convey  the  land  to  him,  or  his  heirs,  "  after  the  death  of  Thomas 
Lincoln  and  his  wife,"  upon  payment  of  the  two  hundred  dollars, 
which  was  really  advanced  to  save  John's  mother  from  utter 
penury.  No  matter  how  much  the  land  might  appreciate  in  value, 
John  was  to  have  it  upon  these  terms,  and  no  interest  was  to  be 
paid  by  him,  "  except  after  the  death  of  the  survivor  as  afore 
said."  This,  to  be  sure,  was  a  great  bargain  for  John,  but  he 
made  haste  to  assign  his  bond  to  another  person  for  "  fifty 
dollars  paid  in  hand." — LAMON  :  Life  of  Lincoln,  pp.  76-7. 


APPENDIX  IV 
HERNDON'S  ATTITUDE  TOWARD  LINCOLN 

I  have  asked  every  one  known  to  me  in  Springfield  who  knew 
William  H.  Herndon  such  questions  as  these: 

Beyond  the  sale  to  Lamon  of  copies  of  his  manuscripts,  and 
his  public  defense  of  Lamon  after  the  publication  of  his  book, 
how  far  was  Herndon  responsible  for  what  Lamon  published? 
How  do  you  account  for  some  things  which  Herndon  published 
about  Lincoln,  particularly  after  he  had  witnessed  the  reception 
of  Lamon's  book?  Was  Herndon  jealous  of  Lincoln?  Did  he 
wish  to  bring  Lincoln  down  to  his  own  level?  Was  it  a  case  in 
which  no  man  is  a  hero  to  his  valet?  Was  Herndon  resentful 
because  Lincoln  did  not  give  him  office? 

To  these  questions  I  obtained  a  very  wide  variety  of  answer. 
One  of  the  best  examples  of  the  reply  unfavorable  to  Herndon 
was  furnished  me  in  a  recently  discovered  letter  of  Hon.  Milton 
Hay,  who  knew  both  men  well,  and  who  wrote  while  the  Hern 
don  book  was  undergoing  active  discussion  in  Springfield. 

Hon.  Logan  Hay,  former  State  Senator  of  Springfield,  gives 
me  this  information  about  his  father: 

My  father,  Milton  Hay,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1817,  and 
died  in  1893.  He  came  to  Springfield  in  1832.  He  was  the 
uncle  of  John  Hay,  the  secretary  of  President  Lincoln;  my 
father's  brother,  Dr.  Charles  Hay,  was  John  Hay's  father.  My 
father  was  in  Lincoln's  office  as  a  student  and  young  lawyer. 
His  contact  with  Lincoln  was  at  the  beginning  the  contact  of  a 
boy  with  a  man,  but  he  came  to  know  Lincoln  intimately.  There 
was  a  break  of  some  years  in  their  close  association.  My  father 
practiced  law  in  Pittsfield  from  1843  to  1857,  but  his  father's 
family  lived  here,  and  he  met  Lincoln  frequently.  From  1857  to 
1861  he  was  very  close  to  Lincoln. 

I.     LETTER  OF   HON.    MILTON    HAY 

SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.,  Jan.  26,  1892. 
HON.  THOS.  VENNUM  : 

Your  letter  of  the  24th  instant  in  regard  to  that  queer  produc- 

360 


HERNDON'S  ATTITUDE  361 

tion,  Herndon's  Life  of  Lincoln,  came  duly  to  hand,  and  but  for 
a  spell  of  the  grip  would  have  been  answered  sooner. 

Herndon  was  a  peculiar  kind  of  crank,  and  his  work  is  re 
garded  as  deserving  of  but  little  credit  by  those  who  were  ac 
quainted  with  both  Lincoln  and  Herndon.  Although  professing 
to  have  been  gotten  up  with  friendly  intentions  toward  Lincoln, 
such  professed  good  intentions  are  not  credited.  Herndon  had 
a  sort  of  loose  connection  with  Lincoln  as  a  partner  in  local 
business  of  this  county,  and  after  Lincoln's  election,  as  the  under 
standing  is  here,  he  went  to  Washington,  as  an  applicant  for 
some  place  and  was  disappointed.  He  returned  home  soured 
and  sore-headed,  and  thereafter  was  active  with  the  Democrats. 

Immediately  upon  Lincoln's  death,  he  proclaimed  himself  as 
the  only  living  man  who  knew  all  about  Lincoln,  assumed  that 
he  had  been  Lincoln's  conscience-keeper,  that  he  was  the  man 
who  had  made  Lincoln  what  he  was,  and  particularly  that  Lincoln 
confided  to  him  secrets  known  to  nobody  else. 

It  is  not  believed  here  that  any  such  confidence  had  existed. 
Much  of  the  narrative  contained  in  the  book  is  known  to  be 
erroneous  here.  Herndon  states  the  matter  as  though  he  was 
personally  acquainted  with  the  facts,  and  it  has  impaired  credence 
in  whatever  he  has  stated  as  being  only  within  his  own  knowl 
edge. 

The  general  opinion  of  the  book  seems  to  have  been  to 
magnify  disproportionately  those  acts  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  life  which 
Mr.  Lincoln  himself  outgrew  and  would  have  wished  his  friends 
to  forget.  As  illustration  of  this,  we  may  take  the  undue  promi 
nence  given  to  his  rather  ridiculous  love  scrapes  as  told  by 
Herndon,  but  of  which  much  is  known  to  be  misstated  and  ex 
aggerated  ;  also  the  Shields  dual  affair.  About  this  latter  affair, 
Mr.  Lincoln  in  after  life  was  rather  sore.  I  was  present  on 
one  occasion  when  one  of  the  participants  in  the  affair  was  in 
Mr.  Lincoln's  office,  trying  to  rehearse  the  particulars  of  that 
affair,  to  which  Mr.  Lincoln  seemed  much  disinclined.  After 
that  person  left  Mr.  Lincoln  remarked  to  me,  "  That  man  is  try 
ing  to  revive  his  memory  of  a  matter  that  I  am  trying  to 
forget." 

The  story  of  Lincoln's  having  told  Herndon  that  his  mother 
was  a  bastard  is  wholly  discredited  by  everybody  who  knew 
Lincoln,  as  well  as  much  other  matter  in  the  book  alleged  to 
have  been  derived  from  conversations  with  Lincoln. 

I  think  I  have  fairly  given  you  the  criticism  made  here  by 
those  best  acquainted  with  both  Lincoln  and  Herndon. 

Yours  truly, 

M.  HAY. 


362    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

The  above  letter  by  Hon.  Milton  Hay,  uncle  of  John  Hay, 
and  a  close  friend  of  Lincoln,  at  one  time  in  the  office  with  him, 
was  found  in  the  papers  of  the  law  firm  of  McAnulty,  Allen  & 
Humphrey,  who  were  successors  to  the  firm  of  Green  &  Hum 
phrey,  who  were  in  turn  successors  to  the  firm  of  Hay,  Green  & 
Littler.  It  was  furnished  and  certified,  April  4,  1919,  by  the 
senior  member  of  the  firm,  Mr.  R.  H.  McAnulty. 


2.     MORE  FAVORABLE  OPINIONS 

On  the  other  hand,  Hon.  Hardin  W.  Masters,  who  knew 
Herndon  intimately,  assured  me  that  in  innumerable  conversa 
tions  with  Herndon,  hg  never  detected  any  indication  of  resent 
ment,  but  that  Herndon  always  spoke  of  Lincoln  with  deepest 
reverence.  I  went  with  Mr.  Masters  to  Petersburg,  where  he 
spent  many  years  of  his  life,  and  where  for  a  time  he  was 
district  attorney.  During  the  period  of  Masters*  activity  there, 
Herndon  habitually  attended  court  at  Petersburg.  His  brother- 
in-law  lived  there,  and  Herndon,  reduced  in  circumstances,  could 
obtain  free  board  during  the  term  of  court,  and  pick  up  a  few 
dollars  in  fees  as  associate  or  senior  counsel  with  younger  lawyers. 
When  Herndon  was  not  thus  employed,  he  would  sit  on  one  of 
the  settees  on  the  court-house  lawn,  glad  to  have  any  one  sit 
down  beside  him,  and  listen  to  him  while  he  talked  about  Lincoln. 
Mr.  Masters  tells  me  that  he  saw  Herndon  in  all  moods,  and 
under  varying  conditions,  for  I  regret  to  say  that  Herndon  was 
not  always  a  sober  man,  and  Mr.  Masters  tells  me  that  Herndon 
never  spoke  the  name  of  Lincoln  without  reverence.  His  feeling 
reached  the  level,  as  he  declares,  of  adoration;  and  he  is  con 
fident  that  gross  injustice  is  done  Herndon  in  attributing  to  him 
spite  or  resentment. 

I  called  on  Hon.  G.  W.  Murray,  who  for  one  year  was 
Herndon's  law-partner.  He  tells  a  pathetic  story  of  the  close 
of  Herndon's  public  career.  Herndon  struggled  on  against  pov 
erty,  against  his  temptation,  against  failing  sight  and  hearing. 
One  day  he  slammed  his  book  shut,  lifted  his  hand,  and,  rising, 
cried  out  in  agony  of  spirit :  "  My  God !  I  can't  see ;  I  can't  hear ! 
I'm  going  to  quit."  He  put  on  his  hat,  left  the  office,  and  did 
not  return.  Judge  Murray  gave  to  me  a  formal  statement  and 
signed  it.  It  deserves  to  be  printed,  and  I  give  it  herewith : 


HERNDON'S  ATTITUDE  363 

LINCOLN  AND  HERNDON 
By  HONORABLE  G.  W.  MURRAY  of  Springfield 

The  following  statement  was  made  by  Hon.  G.  W.  Murray, 
of  Springfield,  Illinois,  to  Rev.  William  E.  Barton,  D.D.,  April 
21,  1920: 

I  was  partner  of  William  H.  Herndon  in  this  city  in  the  year 
1878.  I  had  come  in  1876  from  Ohio,  my  native  State,  in  1876. 
I  was  born  near  Troy,  Ohio,  in  July,  1839,  and  shall  be  81  on 
my  next  birthday.  I  was  elected  Judge  in  1890,  and  served 
continuously,  excepting  between  1894  and  1898,  when  I  was  not 
on  the  bench.  My  whole  term  of  service  as  judge  was  sixteen 
years. 

I  came  to  Illinois  with  great  admiration  for  Abraham  Lincoln, 
and  was  glad  to  be  associated  with  a  man  who  had  known  him 
intimately  as  Mr.  Herndon  had  known  him.  Mr.  Herndon  was 
as  willing  to  talk  about  Lincoln  as  I  was  to  listen. 

Continuously,  when  we  were  not  busy,  and  perhaps  at  some 
times  when  we  should  have  been  at  work,  he  talked  to  me  of 
Lincoln.  There  was  hardly  any  period  of  Lincoln's  life  or 
phase  of  his  character  that  we  did  not  discuss. 

It  has  been  charged  that  Mr.  Herndon  was  embittered  against 
Mr.  Lincoln,  and  a  reason  has  been  assigned  in  Mr.  Lincoln's 
alleged  refusal  to  give  Mr.  Herndon  an  office  which  Herndon  is 
alleged  to  have  coveted.  I  believe  this  to  be  untrue,  both  as  to 
the  fact  and  the  motive. 

So  far  from  Mr.  Herndon's  cherishing  resentment  against 
Mr.  Lincoln,  the  whole  character  of  his  conversations,  which 
were  many,  discredits  that  statement.  I  can  remember  no  single 
word  spoken  by  him  concerning  Mr.  Lincoln  in  which  there  ap 
peared  to  be  any  such  animus.  He  held  Lincoln  in  the  highest 
admiration.  He  had  no  regrets  for  anything  that  had  ever 
occurred  between  them. 

Mr.  Herndon  told  me  that  Mr.  Lincoln  offered  him  office. 
My  impression  is  that  there  was  more  than  one  such  offer.  One 
that  I  remember  was  of  a  judicial  character,  a  position  in  what 
I  think  was  called  the  Court  of  Claims,  a  court  established  to 
consider  claims  of  Southern  people  against  the  Government  for 
damages  alleged  to  have  been  suffered  by  them  during  the  war. 
He  spoke  of  other  positions  which  he  believed  he  might  have  had. 
He  said  that  he  did  not  desire  office. 


364     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

There  is  absolutely  nothing  in  the  charge  that  Mr.  Herndon 
cherished  any  spirit  of  unfriendliness  toward  Mr.  Lincoln,  or 
any  feeling  of  disappointment  because  of  his  failure  to  secure 
through  Mr.  Lincoln  political  appointment. 

Toward  Mrs.  Lincoln,  Herndon  had  no  kindly  feelings.  He 
did  not  denounce  her,  nor  refer  to  her  in  terms  which  a  gentle 
man  might  not  with  propriety  use  toward  a  lady,  but  he  did 
not  like  her  and  she  did  not  like  him ;  and  he  believed  that  she 
made  Mr.  Lincoln's  home  life  unhappy.  He  believed  that  Mr. 
Lincoln  had  loved  Ann  Rutledge,  and  that  her  memory  was  very 
dear  to  Lincoln. 

Mr.  Herndon  continually  spoke  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  greatness 
and  goodness.  He  told  me  of  traveling  over  the  State  from 
one  county  seat  to  another  with  the  meager  law-library  in  saddle 
bags.  Often  Lincoln  went  to  a  session  of  court  without  any 
client,  but  he  almost  always  secured  clients  on  the  ground, 
through  his  association  with  local  attorneys.  Herndon  spoke 
of  Lincoln's  ability  as  a  lawyer  and  statesman.  He  also  admired 
greatly  Lincoln's  kindness  of  heart,  his  forgiving  disposition. 
He  was  greatly  impressed  by  Mr.  Lincoln's  attitude  of  kindness 
toward  young  men  in  the  army  who  were  found  guilty  of  trans 
gression  of  military  regulations. 

His  habitual  attitude  toward  the  memory  of  Lincoln  was 
one  of  admiration. 

In  short,  I  cannot  remember  a  single  instance  in  which  he 
spoke  unkindly  of  Lincoln,  but  invariably  the  reverse. 

I  was  a  warm  admirer  of  Abraham  Lincoln  before  I  became 
Herndon's  partner;  but  under  the  influence  of  Herndon  that 
admiration  grew  to  a  sincere  affection  and  devotion. 

Largely  through  what  Mr.  Herndon  related  to  me,  I  have 
spoken  from  time  to  time  about  Mr.  Lincoln,  in  public  addresses, 
one  of  which  I  delivered  at  the  Lincoln  monument  in  this  city 
in  1903,  and  another  before  the  Authors'  Club  in  1913.  The 
sincere  admiration  which  in  these  and  other  addresses  I  have 
invariably  expressed  for  Abraham  Lincoln  is  in  full  accord  with 
the  spirit  in  which  Mr.  Herndon  always  spoke  of  him. 

It  has  been  charged  that  Mr.  Herndon  believed  and  charged 
that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  an  illegitimate  child.  I  know  what 
Herndon  wrote  which  has  been  thus  construed,  and  in  my 
judgment  Mr.  Herndon  did  not  intend  to  convey  that  impression. 
I  believe  that  Herndon  believed  that  Lincoln  was  of  legitimate 
birth,  and  would  have  resented  a  charge  to  the  contrary. 

I  knew  Mr.  Herndon  too  intimately  and  talked  with  him 
too  freely  to  be  mistaken  about  his  real  feeling  toward  Mr. 
Lincoln.  He  honored  Lincoln,  and  I  learned  in  association  with 


HERNDON'S  ATTITUDE  365 

Herndon,  to  honor  more  and  more  the  character  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  G.  W.  MURRAY. 

April  2ist,  1920. 


3.     STATEMENTS  BY  HERNDON'S  DAUGHTERS 

Mrs.  Fleury,  Mr.  Herndon's  eldest  daughter,  said  to  me: 

"  It  is  a  serious  wrong  to  the  memory  of  my  father  to  speak 
of  him  as  an  infidel.  He  was  not  orthodox  in  his  belief,  and 
he  was  driven  into  controveries  which  caused  him  to  emphasize 
what  he  did  not  believe  rather  than  what  he  did  believe.  But 
the  inscription  on  his  monument,  copied  from  his  own  signed 
statement,  refutes  completely  the  claim  that  he  was  an  infidel. 
I  know  that  people  called  him  so,  and  he  did  not  always  take 
the  trouble  to  deny  it;  but  he  was  a  reverent  man. 

"  His  reverence,  however,  was  not  so  much  for  the  God  of 
the  Bible,  whom  he  identified  with  the  God  of  certain  creeds 
that  he  could  not  accept,  as  for  the  God  of  nature.  He  did  not 
believe  in  miracles,  nor  in  supernatural  revelation.  He  held  that 
nature  and  the  human  mind  are  the  vehicles  of  God's  revelation. 
He  loved  nature,  and  he  studied  it  constantly.  In  this  respect 
he  was  very  unlike  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  did  not  care  for  such 
studies. 

"  It  was  his  custom  on  Sunday  to  send  to  the  livery  stable 
for  a  slow  horse  and  carriage,  and  take  his  children  out  into 
the  country.  He  studied  botany  and  geology  and  the  habits  of 
birds.  Nothing  escaped  his  attention,  and  he  did  not  permit  it 
to  escape  us.  He  pointed  out  to  us  the  beauty  of  the  earth  and 
sky,  and  said,  '  Remember,  a  great  Power  made  all  this/  He 
plucked  flowers  and  showed  them  to  us,  and  pointed  out  their 
parts  and  their  functions,  and  the  wonder  of  them,  and  spoke 
reverently  of  the  God  who  made  them,  and  the  birds  and  our 
selves. 

"  He  was  an  habitual  teaser.  He  joked  with  his  children. 
He  was  always  teasing  his  daughters.  When  he  came  home 
from  the  office,  he  would  ask  me,  *  Who  was  that  dirty-faced 
little  boy  I  saw  kissing  you  through  the  fence  ? '  He  was  de 
lighted  with  my  indignant  denials,  and  would  catch  me  up  and 
laugh  heartily  at  my  loudly  proclaimed  innocence.  When  he 
was  through  with  his  teasing,  he  would  romp  with  us,  and 
instruct  us.  He  was  a  loving  father.  He  was  not  orthodox, 


366     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

and  was  much  opposed  to  the  theology  of  his  time.  I  think  if 
he  were  living  now  he  would  not  be  thought  of  as  an  infidel. 
He  had  his  faults  and  his  weaknesses;  and  his  children  have 
some  memories  that  are  not  happy  ones.  But  he  was  an  honest 
man,  an  intelligent  man,  a  man  who  loved  freedom  and  God 
and  his  children  and  Mr.  Lincoln." 

Similar  testimony  comes  to  me  from  his  other  daughters,  both 
those  by  his  first  wife  and  one  by  his  second  wife,  and  I  am 
confident  they  are  essentially  correct. 


APPENDIX  V 
THE  SUPPRESSED  PAGES  OF  THE  REED  LECTURE 

The  first  publication  that  suggested  the  illegitimacy  of  Abra 
ham  Lincoln  was  the  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  by  Ward  Hill 
Lamon,  published  in  1872.  It  was  based  upon  manuscripts  sold 
to  Lamon  by  William  H.  Herndon,  who  had  been  for  many 
years  the  law-partner  of  Lincoln.  It  would  be  difficult  to  ex 
aggerate  the  indignation  which  the  publication  of  this  book  roused 
against  Lamon,  Herndon,  and  Chauncey  F.  Black,  who  was 
known  to  have  some  share  in  the  authorship  and  whom  Herndon 
afterward  declared  to  have  "  written  quite  every  word  of  it." 
The  Rev.  James  A.  Reed,  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Springfield,  prepared  and  delivered,  there  and  elsewhere,  a 
lecture  which  was  published  in  Scribner's  Monthly  in  1873  and 
is  now  difficult  to  obtain.2  Mr.  H.  E.  Barker,  bookseller  and 
collector  in  Springfield,  obtained  the  original  manuscript  of  cer 
tain  portions  of  this  address  which  were  eliminated  before  pub 
lication.  They  appear,  however,  to  have  been  used  in  the  de 
livery  of  the  lecture.  They  contain  very  hot  shot  for  those  who 
were  understood  to  have  been  responsible  for  this  slander  against 
Lincoln  and  his  mother.  These  sentiments,  as  expressed  by  Dr. 
Reed,  met  the  hearty  approval  of  the  major  part  of  his  audi 
ences,  while  some  thought  them  needlessly  severe  in  their  casti- 
gation  of  Herndon,  who  was  still  living  in  the  city  where  this 
vehement  denunciation  was  uttered.  These  suppressed  pages 
may  now  be  published  without  any  harm  to  any  one,  and  will 
serve  to  show  what  Lincoln's  Springfield  neighbors  heard  with 
approval  when  this  address  was  given  by  the  minister  of  the 
church  which  he  attended.  The  largest  section  of  this  manu 
script  begins  without  a  heading,  at  page  i  of  the  lecture,  and 
contains  twelve  consecutive  pages.  There  are  three  other  pages, 
detached  and  less  important: 

2  The  text  of  this  lecture,  as  published  in  Scribners'  Magazine,  is 
reprinted  in  the  appendix  to  The  Soul  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

367 


368     PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 


THE  SUPPRESSED  PAGES 

THAT  INJUSTICE  has  been  done  the  life  and  sentiments 
of  Mr.  Lincoln,  is  not  simply  the  judgment  of  my  own  mind. 
Judge  Advocate  General  Holt,  has  expressed  sentiment  that  no 
pains  have  been  spared,  to  collect  materials  with  which  to  de 
fame  the  character  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  And  while  he  is  now  so 
loved  as  to  render  what  has  been  published  in  a  measure  harm 
less,  yet  he  fears  it  is  calculated  to  do  him  great  injury  in  another 
generation. 

A  prominent  and  influential  Journal  of  the  country  also 
makes  an  appeal  to  the  old  friends  and  neighbors  of  Mr.  Lincoln 
at  Springfield  to  defend  his  good  name  against  the  attacks  of 
those  who,  while  claiming  to  be  his  friends,  seek  to  blacken  and 
defame  his  character.  "  We  arraign  them  all,"  says  this  journal, 
"  in  the  name  of  the  dead,  who  cannot  be  heard  again ;  in  the 
name  of  the  Nation;  in  the  name  of  religion  and  morality,  for 
the  crime  of  remaining  silent  while  one  of  their  own  citizens, 
pretending  to  speak  for  them,  persists  in  blackening  the  reputa 
tion  of  him  they  love. 

"  By  common  consent  of  this  country  the  body  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  borne  from  the  scene  of  his  martyrdom  to  his  home 
in  the  city  of  Springfield,  and  by  loving  hands  laid  to  rest  at 
Oak  Ridge.  Shall  it  be  said  that  those  who  of  old  knew  him 
and  loved  him,  and  take  to  themselves  something  of  the  honor 
that  clings  to  his  name,  and  who  are  to  keep  watch  and  ward 
by  his  grave,  shall  sit  in  dumb  self-complacency  while  birds  of 
evil  ornen  croak  and  mousing  owls  peck  at  his  laurels  ?  " 

Whether  the  public  is  generally  aware  of  it  or  not,  it  is  very 
evident  from  this  appeal  that  Mr.  Lincoln's  character  has  been 
unfairly  dealt  with  from  some  quarter.  And  the  first  question 
that  is  asked  is,  Who  are  the  persons  and  what  are  their  mo 
tives  ? 

This  is  the  question  I  am  first  of  all  compelled  to  answer. 
And  these  gentlemen  cannot  complain  of  me  if  I  am  as  frank  as 
they  have  been  in  telling  who  Mr.  Lincoln  was. 

The  first  man  who  attempted  to  blacken  the  reputation  of 
Mr.  Lincoln  after  his  death  was  a  low,  drunken,  infidel  by  the 
name  of  William  H.  Herndon ;  a  man  of  such  disreputable  char 
acter  and  sentiments  that  nobody  about  Springfield  cared  to  give 
the  notoriety  even  of  a  passing  kick.  This  man,  soon  after  Mr. 
Lincoln's  death,  collected  what  he  considered  sufficient  materials 
with  which  to  immortalize  himself  as  the  historian  of  Mr.  Lin 
coln.  But  not  having  the  means  to  publish  it,  as  it  seems,  he 


REED'S  LECTURE  369 

deposited  the  manuscript  for  safe-keeping  in  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Springfield,  where  it  remained  in  durance  vile  as  a  sort 
of  collateral  security  for  a  small  claim  which  the  distinguished 
author  was  not  able  to  discharge,  and  where  it  would  most  likely 
have  remained  in  its  merited  obscurity  but  for  the  assistance 
of  his  distinguished  friend  and  associate,  Colonel  Ward  H. 
Lamon,  who  brought  the  precious  document  to  light  by  purchas 
ing  it,  paying  $2,000  for  it,  as  I  am  reliably  informed,  and  in 
corporating  it  in  a  book  of  his  own.  These  gatherings  of  Mr. 
Herndon,  thus  coming  before  the  public,  endorsed  by  Mr. 
Lamon,  and  published  in  a  large  and  expensive  volume,  and 
circulated  all  over  the  country,  claiming  to  be  the  only  real  and 
fair  and  reliable  history  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  sentiments,  it 
does  seem  fitting  that  some  notice  should  be  taken  of  these  gen 
tlemen  and  their  infamous  publication. 

In  all  that  has  been  written  and  published  of  the  life  and 
services  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  these  two  men  are  the  only  ones 
who  have  had  the  complacency  like  Joab  of  old  to  come  forward 
and  take  their  hero  by  the  beard  with  the  right  hand,  and  to 
kiss  him  and  then  gallantly  stab  him  under  the  fifth  rib. 

While  the  voice  of  calumny  was  silent,  speaking  no  evil  of 
the  dead,  these  two  men,  professing  to  be  his  familiar  friends, 
and  who  did  eat  at  his  table,  and  whom  like  the  little  ewe  lamb 
that  did  sleep  in  the  poor  man's  bosom,  and  brought  up;  Mr. 
Herndon  as  an  indifferent  and  second-rate  lawyer,  enjoying  for 
a  time  the  advantages  of  a  connection  with  him,  the  vanity  of 
which  caused  him  to  force  himself  upon  the  notice  of  the  public; 
and  Mr.  Lamon,  reaping  the  emoluments  of  an  office,  as  martial 
of  the  District  of  Columbia,  worth  from  $10,000  to  $15,000  a 
year ;  these  two  worthy  friends  of  the  President,  with  the  assist 
ance  of  a  third,  whose  name  does  not  appear  in  the  book,  but 
who  is  known  to  be  the  son  of  Jeremiah  S.  Black  of  this  state, 
by  a  singular  combination  of  their  wits  and  meager  talents, 
form  a  tri-partite  mountain  of  authorship,  and  this  mountain 
labors,  and  there  comes  forth  this  ridiculus  mus — Lamon's 
Life  of  Lincoln — a  volume  that  will  disgrace  its  author  as  long 
as  it  will  disgrace  the  character  and  do  injustice  to  the  memory 
of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

The  motives  of  these  men,  in  contributing  to  this  work,  vary 
with  their  individuality.  No  one  can  read  this  book  without 
making  the  discovery  that  it  is  written  only  in  the  pretense  of 
friendship.  The  chagrin  of  an  unrecognized  and  disappointed 
aspirant  for  political  favors  appears  on  all  that  Mr.  Herndon 
writes.  And  Mr.  Lamon  writes  as  one  who  has  heard  the  voice 
of  his  master  saying,  "  Give  an  account  of  thy  stewardship,  for 


370    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

thou  mayest  no  longer  be  steward."  Mr.  Lincoln  had  evidently 
read  the  character  of  both  these  men,  and  had  given  them  to 
understand  that  he  did  not  need  their  services.  They  were 
weights  he  cared  no  longer  to  carry.  And  for  this  they  under 
take  the  grateful  task  of  writing  his  biography,  and  make  him 
out  a  bastard  and  an  infidel.  The  patriarch  Job  once  exclaimed 
in  the  midst  of  a  persistent  attempt  of  his  distinguished  friends 
to  defame  his  integrity,  "  Oh,  that  mine  enemy  had  written  a 
book ! "  Mr.  Lincoln  has  been  spared  that  wish.  His  distin 
guished  friends  have  written  a  book,  and  a  book  that  proclaims 
them  and  justifies  him  as  clearly  as  it  did  Job  in  calling  them 
his  enemies.  For  never  was  there  cooler  or  meaner  detraction 
if  not  malignancy,  concealed  beneath  the  mask  of  apparent  friend 
ship  than  we  have  in  this  book. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  celebrated  Dr.  Johnson  once  made 
the  remark  that  he  thought  a  man  might  be  justified  in  taking 
the  life  of  another  to  estop  the  biographical  taking  of  his  own. 
It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  Dr.  Johnson  seriously  meant  to 
justify  the  killing  of  a  man  short  of  self-defense.  But  if  there 
was  a  clear  case  in  which  a  man  could  be  justified,  for  biographi 
cal  reasons,  in  killing  off  a  few  of  his  anticipated  and  ambitious 
historians  before  he  died,  I  don't  know  a  clearer  case  than  that 
of  Mr.  Lincoln. 

Mr.  Herndon's  earnest  and  zealous  effort  to  prove  that  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  an  infidel  to  the  day  of  his  death  is  simply  the  last 
service  to  which  he  can  put  his  hero  to  his  own  advantage.  It 
is  well  known  that  the  infidelity  which  he  attributes  to  Mr.  Lin 
coln  is  simply  the  reflection  of  his  own  infidel  sentiments.  He 
would  fain  give  them  character  by  palming  them  off  as  the  dying 
sentiments  of  a  man  whose  shoe  latchets  he  is  not  worthy  to 
stoop  down  and  unloose.  He  so  shapes  his  detraction  of  the 
President  as  that  he  may  have  the  prestige  of  his  name  to  bolster 
up  and  give  currency  to  his  own  miserable  infidelity. 

It  is  easy  to  detect  the  underlying  motive  in  this  bold  and 
unscrupulous  effort  to  fasten  this  charge  of  final  scepticism  upon 
Mr.  Lincoln.  The  very  pains  and  persistency  of  the  effort  of 
these  men  to  make  the  allegation  good,  bears  on  its  face  the 
confession  that  the  public  impression  of  a  change  in  Mr.  Lincoln's 
sentiments  previous  to  his  death  was  well  founded,  and  betrays 
the  fear  that  unless  the  evidence  which  sustains  this  impression 
be  annihilated,  Mr.  Lincoln's  name  will  go  down  to  posterity 
bearing  its  testimony  to  the  truth  of  Christianity  rather  than 
to  the  lie  of  infidelity.  There  would  have  been  no  necessity  for 
such  a  labored  effort  of  friendship  to  keep  Mr.  Lincoln's  name 
in  the  rank  and  file  of  infidelity  had  there  not  been  a  strong 


REED'S  LECTURE  371 

and  general  impression  that  Mr.  Lincoln  had  changed  his  senti 
ments  and  was  not  an  infidel  when  he  died. 


I  wonder  not  that  a  distinguished  gentleman  writing  me 
from  Washington  expresses  his  indignation  by  saying,  "  I  am 
amazed  at  Lamon's  book.  It  is  the  compound  fruit  of  a  serpent 
and  a  jackal." 


APPENDIX  VI 
WASHINGTON  COUNTY  AFFIDAVITS 

It  is  firmly  believed  in  Washington  County,  Kentucky,  that 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  there  and  not  in  Hardin.  These 
affidavits,  excepting  that  of  County  Attorney  Polin,  which  was 
made  for  this  book,  were  procured  for  the  purpose  of  estab 
lishing  that  claim.  In  another  place  that  opinion  is  discussed. 
These  depositions  are  here  recorded  because,  apart  from  the 
question  of  the  birth  of  Lincoln,  they  show  a  body  of  consistent 
recollection  concerning  the  marriage  of  his  parents. 

I.     AFFIDAVIT  OF  WILLIAM  THOMAS  HARDESTY 

The  deposition  of  William  Thomas  Hardesty,  taken  before 
me  at  the  Law  Office  of  Polin  &  Polin,  in  Springfield,  Kentucky, 
and  in  the  presence  of  the  County  Judge,  W.  A.  Waters,  and  the 
County  Attorney,  Joseph  Polin,  for  the  purpose  of  preserving 
his  testimony  as  a  historical  record  for  Washington  County. 
Witness  after  being  duly  sworn  and  examined  by  Joseph  Polin, 
testified  as  follows: 

Q — State  your  name,  age,  residence  and  occupation? 

A — William  Thomas  Hardesty,  born  April  3Oth,  1837,  reside 
near  Walton's  Lick,  in  Washington  County  and  am  a  farmer. 

Q — Please  state  your  father's  name  and  your  mother's  maiden 
name? 

A — William  Hardesty,  who  married  Annie  Moody.  William 
Hardesty  was  born  on  the ....  day  of 17 ... 

Q — Please  give  us  a  short  sketch  of  your  father. 

A — My  father  came  from  Maryland  about  the  year  . . . . ,  in 
company  with  his  father,  Charles  Hardesty,  and  settled  near 
Walton's  Lick,  where  Edward  Smothers  now  lives.  This  Walton's 
Lick  is  named  for  General  Matthew  Walton,  who  manufactured 
salt  at  this  place  in  the  days  of  the  early  settlement  of  the  county 
and  the  old  salt  well  is  on  the  north  bank  of  Lick  Creek  just 
east  of  the  ford.  I  still  have  in  my  possession  one  of  the  old 
kettles  which  were  used  by  Walton  in  the  manufacture  of  salt. 
It  is  rather  peculiar  looking,  the  vessel  having  no  legs  and  only 
one  ear,  and  holding  40  gallons.  People  came  to  this  place  for 
miles  and  carried  away  salt  on  horseback.  My  father  died 

372 


WASHINGTON  COUNTY  AFFIDAVITS    373 

about  the day  of 18. . .     There  lived  in  the  same 

neighborhood  the  Moodys,  the  Berrys,  the  Reddings,  the  Haydens, 
and  the  Lincolns  and  quite  a  number  of  others. 

Q — Please  state  what  you  know  about  the  history  of  the 
Lincoln  family  in  Washington  County  from  having  heard  your 
father  talk  about  them. 

A — I  have  often  heard  my  father  say  that  he  knew  Thomas 
Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks:  that  he  remembered  distinctly  when 
as  a  small  boy  he  slipped  away  from  home  and  went  to  their 
wedding  in  the  year  1806  when  they  were  married  by  Jesse 
Head  in  the  small  log  cabin  which  formerly  stood  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Litsey  and  Valley  Hill  pike  at  a  point  just  north  of 
the  Mill  Race  near  Poortown.  They  afterwards  lived  in  this 
cabin  and  it  was  there  that  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  was  born.  The  spring  near  the  roadside 
has  been  called  the  Lincoln  Spring  since  my  earliest  recollection. 
I  have  heard  my  father  talk  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  grand 
father  of  the  President,  being  killed  by  the  Indians  a  short  dis 
tance  from  his  home  in  this  county.  This  older  Abraham  Lincoln 
lived  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  James  L.  Moran  and  at  a  point 
near  the  forks  of  the  Litsey  and  Valley  Hill  pike  with  the  pike 
leading  to  Springfield  and  on  the  stream  known  as  Lincoln's 
Run.  At  this  place  there  is  a  small  branch  emptying  into  Lin 
coln's  Run  and  the  house  was  located  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Litsey  and  Valley  Hill  pike  and  on  a  point  between  this  branch 
and  Lincoln's  Run.  I  recollect  that  there  is  a  small  mound  and 
formerly  there  were  some  rocks  where  the  house  stood.  I  re 
member  of  seeing  many  times  and  of  having  used  many  times 
in  hunting  the  old  powder  horn  which  was  taken  from  around 
the  neck  of  Abraham  Lincoln  after  he  was  killed  by  the  Indians. 
This  horn  had  on  it  the  Masonic  emblem  of  a  compass  and  a 
square.  There  was  also  carved  on  it  the  image  of  an  eagle 
beneath  which  were  the  words,  "  Liberty  or  Death,"  and  the 
name,  "  A.  Lincoln."  This  horn  remained  in  our  family  for 
quite  a  number  of  years.  I  don't  know  how  my  father  came 
into  possession  of  it  but  have  often  heard  him  say  in  speaking 
of  it  what  I  have  related  above.  He  finally  gave  this  horn  to 
the  late  attorney,  Richard  J.  Brown,  and  that  is  the  last  trace 
I  have  of  it.  I  have  frequently  heard  my  father  say  that  he 
knew  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  President,  when  he  was  a  small 
boy  living  with  his  parents  in  this  county.  My  father  was 
always  quite  positive  of  the  fact  that  the  President  was  born 
in  this  county,  being  born  a  few  years  before  the  family  moved 
to  that  portion  of  Hardin  County  which  is  now  Larue. 

W.  T.  HARDESTY. 


374    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

STATE  OF  KENTUCKY. 
WASHINGTON  COUNTY. 

I,  Olive  Walker,  Examiner  for  and  within  the  county  and 
state  aforesaid,  certify  that  the  foregoing  deposition  of  William 
Thomas  Hardesty,  was  taken  before  me  at  the  time  and  place 
and  for  the  purpose  stated  in  the  captain ;  that  said  witness  was 
duly  sworn  before  giving  it ;  that  it  was  written  by  me  in  short 
hand  and  afterwards  transcribed  by  me  on  the  typewriter  and 
that  it  was  signed  by  the  witness :  that  there  were  present  County 
Judge,  W.  A.  Waters,  and  County  Attorney,  Joseph  Polin. 

Given  under  my  hand,  this  7th  day  of  November,  1919. 

OLIVE  WALKER, 
Examiner  for  Washington  Co.  Ky. 


2.     AFFIDAVIT  OF  R.   M.  THOMPSON 

This  affiant,  R.  M.  Thompson,  says  that  he  is  native  of 
Washington  County,  Ky.,  79  years  of  age.  He  was  raised  in 
said  county,  and  has  lived  therein  all  of  his  life  except  eight 
years,  when  he  resided  at  Indianapolis,  State  of  Indiana.  His 
present  address  is  Springfield,  County  and  State  aforesaid.  The 
mother  of  Nancy  (Hanks)  Lincoln,  who  was  the  mother  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  was  an  own  cousin  of  affiant's  mother.  Affiant 
knew  well  Richard  Berry,  Jr.,  who  was  a  grandson  of  Richard 
Berry,  Sr.,  who  was  the  guardian  of  said  Nancy  (Hanks)  Lin 
coln,  wife  of  Thomas  Lincoln.  Said  Richard  Berry,  Jr.,  lived 
with  his  father,  Frank  Berry,  a  son  of  Richard  Berry,  Sr.  The 
marriage  of  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks,  parents  of  Pres 
ident  Abraham  Lincoln,  occurred  in  the  same  house  or  premises 
recently  sold  and  conveyed  by  Mrs.  Sallie  Reed,  wife  of  Henry 
F.  Reed,  to  Maj.  D.  W.  Sanders,  of  Louisville,  Ky.  Said  Richard 
Berry,  Jr.,  told  affiant  as  he  now  recollects,  and  his  memory 
serves  him  well,  about  the  close  of  the  late  Civil  War,  that 
President  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  in  said  house  in  Washing 
ton  County,  Ky.,  the  same  in  which  his  parents  were  married. 
Affiant  was  well  acquainted  with  William  Hardesty,  who  lived 
to  an  extreme  old  age,  and  whose  residence  was  always  in  the 
neighborhood  of  said  premises. 

Said  William  Hardesty  was  an  honorable,  reputable  and 
creditable  citizen,  and  every  way  worthy  of  belief.  He  has 
made  affidavit  (that  is  said  William  Hardesty)  and  sworn  that 
he  was  present,  and  witnessed  the  marriage  of  Thomas  Lincoln 
and  Nancy  Hanks  in  said  house,  by  the  Rev.  Jesse  Head,  deacon 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Said  William  Hardesty 


WASHINGTON  COUNTY  AFFIDAVITS    375 

has  frequently  told  affiant  that  there  was  born  to  Thomas  Lincoln 
and  his  said  wife  a  daughter  older  than  President  Abraham 
Lincoln,  said  daughter  being  the  first  child  and  born  in  said 
house.  She  died  at  an  early  age.  Said  Richard  Berry,  Jr.,  was 
a  good  citizen,  reputable  and  worthy  to  be  believed. 

R.  M.  THOMPSON. 

STATE  OF  KENTUCKY,  WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  ss. 

I,  James  L.  Wharton,  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  for  the 
State  and  county  written  above,  certify  that  R.  M.  Thompson, 
who  is  a  most  reputable  citizen,  subscribed  and  made  oath  and 
was  sworn  to  the  foregoing  affidavit  this  day.  He  is  entitled 
to  be  believed,  and  reputable,  upright,  moral,  and  creditable  in 
every  way.  Before  he  executed  said  affidavit,  I  read  it  over  to 
him  and  explained  its  contents  to  him  and  he  understood  the 
same,  and  did,  in  my  presence  freely  and  voluntarily  execute 
said  affidavit.  Said  affidavit  was  dictated  for  said  R.  M. 
Thompson. 

Witness  my  hand  and  seal  of  office  this  I3th  day  of  April, 
1891. 

J.  L.  WHARTON  (Seal) 
Clerk  of  Washington  Circuit  Court. 


3.     AFFIDAVIT   OF   MR.   JOSEPH    POLIN,    COUNTY   ATTORNEY   OF 
WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  SPRINGFIELD,  KENTUCKY 

Affiant,  Joseph  Polin,  states  that  he  was  born  in  Washington 
County,  Kentucky,  April  28th,  1883;  that  he  has  made  diligent 
search  for  record  evidence  and  evidence  traditional  concerning 
all  matters  relating  to  Abraham  Lincoln  and  his  antecedents,  so 
far  as  they  belong  to  the  history  of  this  county.  He  is  familiar 
with  the  rumors  that  gained  currency  at  one  time  in  Larue 
County,  concerning  the  alleged  illegitimacy  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 
The  affiant  states  that  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge  and  belief 
these  rumors  were  never  credited  in  this  county  among  the 
people  who  had  known  the  Lincoln  family.  The  record  of  the 
Lincoln  family  in  this  county,  as  shown  by  records  both  published 
and  unpublished,  is  an  honorable  one.  The  Berrys  and  the  col 
lateral  families  also  were  reputable  people  and  their  descendants 
are  still  living  in  this  county  and  are  highly  esteemed.  Before 
the  discovery  of  the  marriage  return  for  Thomas  and  Nancy 
Lincoln,  the  reliable  people  of  this  county,  indignantly  denied,  as 
I  have  been  reliably  informed,  the  charges  which  they  deemed 
slanderous,  affecting  the  character  of  the  mother  of  Abraham 


376    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Lincoln.    The  discovery  of  that  document  is  a  complete  confirma 
tion  of  their  confidence  in  the  chastity  of  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln. 

JOSEPH  POLIN. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  by  Joseph  Polin,  this 
i6th  day  of  March,  1920. 

JNO.  A.  POLIN. 

Notary  Public. 
My  commission  expires  May  22,  1923. 


APPENDIX  VII 
LA  RUE  COUNTY  AFFIDAVITS 

I.     THE  AFFIDAVIT  OF   HON.   RICHARD  W.   CREAL 

STATE  OF  KENTUCKY  sg 
COUNTY  OF  LARUE 

The  affiant,  Richard  W.  Creal,  states  as  follows,  after  being 
duly  sworn — 

My  name  is  Richard  W.  Creal.  I  was  born  in  Larue  County 
Kentucky  1853  an<^  I  am  a  son  °f  Richard  Creal  who  formerly 
owned  the  farm  in  Larue  County  upon  which  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  born,  the  same  now  owned  by  the  Lincoln  Farm  Association. 
Upon  one  occasion  when  with  my  father,  "  Aunt  "  Peggy  Walters, 
who  was  an  old  woman,  pointed  out  to  us  the  place  where 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  born.  The  cabin  which  she  said  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  born  in  was  situated  a  short  distance  from  the  Cave 
Spring  (now  known  as  the  Lincoln  Spring).  I  was  about  twelve 
years  old  at  the  time  I  heard  Mrs.  Walters  make  this  statement. 
She  stated  further  that  she  knew  the  Lincoln  family  well,  both 
before  and  after  the  date  of  the  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln ;  that 
she  was  living  hardly  a  mile  away  from  the  Lincolns  at  the 
time  of  the  birth  of  Abraham. 

Affiant  further  states  that  shortly  after  this  conversation  he 
and  his  father  were  passing  the  home  of  one  of  the  early  settlers 
Jack  McDougal  who  lived  on  the  Bardstown  and  Green  River 
Turnpike,  about  four  miles  from  the  Lincoln  farm.  That  he 
heard  a  conversation  between  his  father  and  McDougal  in  which 
McDougal  stated  that  he  knew  the  Lincoln  family,  that  they 
were  living  in  this  county  at  the  time  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
born;  that  they  lived  in  a  cabin  about  two  and  one  half  miles 
south  of  Hodgenville,  on  the  Hodgen's  Mill  and  Aetna  Furnace 
road. 

(Signed)  RICHARD  W.  CREAL. 


Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  by  Richard  W.  Creal  this 
July  6th  1906,  CHARLES  WILLIAMS 

NPLC 
377 


378    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

2.     THE  AFFIDAVIT  OF  W.  D.  KIETH 

STATE  OF  KENTUCKY  ss 
COUNTY  OF  LARUE 

The  affiant,  W.  D.  Kieth,  after  being  duly  sworn  deposes 
and  says — 

My  name  is  W.  D.  Kieth,  and  I  live  at  Buffalo,  Larue  County, 
Ky.,  and  I  am  62  years  of  age.  I  was  born  in  the  state  of  Indiana. 
I  am  a  son  of  Nehemiah  Kieth  who  was  born  in  Hardin  County, 
Ky.  (now  Larue  County)  the  I4th  day  of  February  1807,  on  a 
farm  about  three  fourths  of  a  mile  from  the  farm  now  owned 
by  the  Lincoln  Farm  Association,  the  birthplace  of  Abraham 
Lincoln. 

When  Lincoln  was  making  his  first  race  for  the  presidency, 
and  while  we  were  living  in  Indiana,  I  heard  my  father  say  that 
he  remembered  Lincoln  when  they  were  boys  together  down 
in  Larue  County,  and  that  they  had  played  together  many  a 
day.  My  father  told  me  further  that  his  mother,  my  grand 
mother,  was  present  at  the  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  Feby 
1809;  that  he  was  born  near  the  Cave  Spring  about  two  and 
one  half  miles  south  of  the  Hodgen's  Mill  and  Aetna  Furnace 
road,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  said  Lincoln  Farm  Association 
in  Larue  County,  Ky.  My  grandmother  was  a  Larue,  a  daughter 
of  one  of  the  early  pioneers  in  this  section  of  the  country. 

And  further  the  affiant  sayest  not. 

W.  D.  KIETH. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  by  W.  D.  Kieth  this 
July  6,  1906.  CHARLES  WILLIAMS, 

Notary  Public  Larue  Co.  Ky. 

3.     THE  AFFIDAVIT  OF   ROBERT   ENLOW 

STATE  OF  KENTUCKY 
COUNTY  OF  LARUE 

The  affiant,  Robert  Enlow,  after  being  duly  sworn,  upon  his 
oath  states  that  he  is  45  years  old,  was  born  and  reared  in 
LaRue  County,  Kentucky,  on  the  North  Fork  of  Nolin,  about 
2^2  miles  east  of  the  town  of  Hodgenville.  Affiant  further  says, 
I  am  a  farmer,  have  resided  on  a  farm  all  my  life.  I  taught  in 
the  public  schools  of  LaRue  County  fourteen  years,  and  have  for 
the  last  two  sessions  represented  LaRue  County  in  the  legis 
lature. 

My  Grandmother  Kirkpatrick  stated  in  my  presence  that  at 
the  time  of  Abraham  Lincoln's  birth  she  was  living  on  the  South 
Fork  of  Nolin,  about  two  miles  west  of  Hodgenville;  that  she 


LA  RUE  COUNTY  AFFIDAVITS       379 

knew  of  her  own  personal  knowledge  that  he  was  born  on  the 
farm  ever  since  known  as  the  Lincoln  Farm,  and  now  owned 
by  the  Lincoln  Memorial  Association.  She  further  stated  that 
the  affiant's  great-grandmother,  and  the  mother  of  Abraham 
Enlow,  was  sent  for  and  taken  to  the  Lincoln  home  on  this  event 
and  attended  on  Mr.  Lincoln's  mother,  she  being  a  practicing 
physician  at  the  time. 

At  the  time  my  grandmother  made  this  statement  there  was 
a  conversation  going  on  as  to  the  exact  spot  of  Lincoln's  birth 
place  and  my  grandmother  detailed  these  facts  as  facts  that  she 
knew  of  her  own  personal  knowledge. 

(Signed)  ROBERT  ENLOW. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  by  Robert  Enlow,  this  the 
loth  day  of  July  1906. 

CHARLES  WILLIAMS 
Notary  Public  LaRue  County  Ky. 

4.  THE  AFFIDAVIT  OF  JOHN  BROWNFIELD 

STATE  OF  KENTUCKY 
COUNTY  OF  LARUE 

The  affiant,  John  Brownfield,  after  being  duly  sworn  upon 
his  oath  states  that  he  was  born  in  Hardin  County  Ky.  (now 
Larue  Co.)  and  is  now  86  years  old.  He  says  "  I  have  heard 
my  father  George  Brownfield,  who  came  to  what  is  now  Larue 
County  and  located  at  Buffalo,  about  2,^/2  miles  from  the  Lincoln 
farm,  in  1790,  say  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  in  this  county 
on  the  farm  known  as  the  Lincoln  Farm. 

I  have  also  heard  Wm.  Cessna,  another  very  old  citizen  and 
father  of  Judge  Jonathan  Cessna  of  Larue  Co.,  say  that  he  knew 
it  to  be  a  fact  that  Lincoln  was  born  on  said  farm  in  Larue 
County.  I  have  lived  all  my  life  in  the  vicinity  of  this  farm. 

JOHN  BROWNFIELD,  SR. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  by  John  Brownfield  this 
the  6  day  of  July  1906.  I  further  certify  that  this  affiant's 
memory  was  clear  at  the  giving  of  this  statement  and  he  read 
this  affidavit  and  signed  it  without  the  aid  of  his  eye  glasses, 
which  he  had  forgotten  and  left  at  home. 

CHARLES  WILLIAMS 
Notary  Public  Larue  Co.  Ky. 

5.  THE  AFFIDAVIT  OF  THOMAS  C.   WALTERS 

STATE  OF  KENTUCKY  sg 
COUNTY  OF  LARUE 

The  affiant,  Thomas  C.  Walters,  after  being  duly  sworn 
deposes  and  says: 


380    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

I  was  born  in  Larue  County,  Ky.,  in  1855,  and  I  now  live 
in  said  county,  and  my  post  office  address  is  Sonora,  Ky.  I  am 
a  grandson  of  "  Peggy  "  Walters,  one  of  the  early  pioneers  in 
this  section  of  the  country.  Upon  an  occasion  I  heard  her  speak 
ing  to  one  Mr.  Helm  in  which  she  said  that  she  knew  the  Lincoln 
family  well;  knew  them  while  they  were  living  about  two  and 
one  half  miles  from  Hodgenville,  Ky.,  on  the  farm  now  owned 
by  the  Lincoln  Memorial  Association;  that  she  knew  this  family 
well  both  before  and  after  the  birth  of  Mr.  Lincoln  (Abraham)  ; 
that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  at  this  place;  that  she  frequently 
went  to  see  the  Lincoln  family,  who  were  in  poor  circumstances, 
and  that  she  assisted  the  mother  with  the  infant  child  (Abraham 
Lincoln).  Affiant  further  says  that  the  mind  and  memory  of 
grandmother  was  perfectly  clear  at  the  time  of  this  conversation. 

Affiant  further  says  that  he  knew  Abraham  Enlow,  another 
old  settler;  that  he  heard  Enlow  say  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
born  out  at  the  Lincoln  farm  in  Larue  County.  That  he  ren 
dered  the  Lincoln  family  many  little  acts  of  kindness  and  that 
he  believed  they  named  their  infant  son  for  him  "  Abraham " 
because  of  the  kind  treatment  he  had  given  the  family. 

THOMAS  C.  WALTERS. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  by  Thomas  C.  Walters 
this  July  4th,  1906. 

CHARLES  WILLIAMS, 

Notary  Public. 


6.     THE  AFFIDAVIT   OF   AMOS   WALTERS 

My  name  is  Amos  Walters.  I  live  in  Larue  County  about 
two  miles  from  the  town  of  Hodgenville  and  am  a  fanner.  I 
was  born  in  this  county  (Larue)  in  1841  and  I  have  made  this 
my  home  all  my  life.  I  had  an  aunt  by  the  name  of  "  Peggy  " 
Walters  who  was  present  at  the  Lincoln  home  the  night  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  born.  She,  together  with  my  uncle,  Conrad  Walters, 
lived  in  that  vicinity  about  one  mile  from  the  Lincoln  place. 

Some  time  before  the  death  of  my  aunt,  and  about  the  time 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  coming  into  prominence,  I  heard  my  old  aunt 
make  this  statement:  That  she  recollected  very  well  the  birth 
of  Mr.  Lincoln;  that  she  was  present  at  the  time  of  his  birth; 
that  she  knew  the  father  and  mother  of  Mr.  Lincoln ;  that  he 
was  born  in  the  cabin  near  the  old  spring  on  the  farm  now 
owned  and  controlled  by  the  Lincoln  Memorial  Association  in 
Larue  County,  Ky. 

Affiant  states  further  that  his  aunt  at  the  time  of  this  con- 


LA  RUE  COUNTY  AFFIDAVITS       381 

versation  was  quite  an  old  woman,  but  her  mind  was  bright  and 
her  memory  was  clear  on  this. 

AMOS  WALTERS. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  by  Amos  Walters  this 
the  3<Dth  day  of  June,  1906. 

CHARLES  WILLIAMS, 

Notary  Public. 

7.     THE  AFFIDAVIT  OF  DAVID  T.  BROWNFIELD 

STATE  OF  KENTUCKY  gs 
COUNTY  OF  LARUE 

The  affiant,  David  T.  Brownfield,  after  being  duly  sworn  de 
poses  and  says: 

My  name  is  David  T.  Brownfield.  I  was  born  in  Larue 
County,  Kentucky,  in  1837.  I  was  born  about  two  miles  from 
the  birthplace  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  My  father,  George  Brown- 
field,  came  to  this  county  in  about  1790  and  moved  to  the  site 
of  my  birthplace.  He  knew  the  Lincoln  family  and  I  have 
heard  him  speak  of  them.  He  knew  they  were  living  in  Larue 
County  at  the  time  of  the  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  I  have 
heard  him  say  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  in  this  county. 
Affiant  further  says  that  he  knew  Abe  Enlow  and  Charles  Friend, 
two  early  pioneers  of  this  section  of  the  country;  that  they 
were  each  living  in  this  county  at  the  time  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  born  here  and  they  each  said  that  the  old  Creal  farm,  about 
two  and  one  half  miles  south  of  Hodgenville,  was  the  place 
where  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born. 

The  affiant  further  says :  "  I  was  in  Washington  City  July 
1861  and  visited  the  president.  I  asked  Mr.  Lincoln  the  direct 
question  where  he  was  born  as  I  wanted  to  hear  this  from  his 
own  lips.  He  told  me  that  he  was  born  at  the  Cave  Spring  about 
2,y2  miles  south  of  the  town  of  Hodgenville,  that  this  farm  was 
situate  on  the  road  known  in  the  early  days  as  the  Hodgen's 
Mill  and  Aetna  Furnace  road.  In  this  conversation  Mr.  Lincoln 
asked  me  about  his  boyhood  friend  and  playmate  Austin  Gol- 
laher,  and  appeared  to  be  very  much  interested  in  the  old  settlers 
of  Larue  County. 

The  affiant  further  states  that  he  lives  in  Louisville,  Ky., 
and  that  his  street  address  is  620  West  Chestnut. 

DAVID  T.  BROWNFIELD. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  by  David  T.  Brownfield 
this  the  5th  day  of  July  1906. 

CHARLES  WILLIAMS 
Notary  Public  for  Larue  Co. 


382    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 


8.   THE  AFFIDAVIT  OF  JOHN  C.  FRIEND 

STATE  OF  KENTUCKY 
COUNTY  OF  LARUE    ! 

My  name  is  John  C.  Friend  and  I  live  in  Hodgenville,  Ky., 
and  I  have  been  in  the  active  practice  of  law  for  over  fifteen 
years.  Many  years  ago  I  heard  a  conversation  in  front  of  the 
old  drug  store  building  on  the  site  of  which  now  stands  the 
business  house  of  G.  O.  Kirkpatrick  in  Hodgenville,  Ky.,  in 
which  Mr.  Abraham  Enlow,  who  at  the  time  was  a  very  old  man 
and  who  has  been  dead  for  a  number  of  years,  made  the  follow 
ing  statement: 

That  he  was  on  the  way  to  the  old  Kirkpatrick  mill  with  a 
"  turn "  of  corn,  and  Thomas  Lincoln,  the  father  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  halted  him  and  asked  that  he  loan  him  the  horse  that 
he  (Enlow)  was  riding,  explaining  that  he  wanted  to  go  after 
a  midwife  or  "  granny-woman  "  as  he  denominated  her.  Mr. 
Enlow  said  that  Mr.  Lincoln  assisted  him  in  removing  the  sack 
of  corn  from  the  horse  and  that  he  (Enlow)  remained  by  the 
roadside  until  Mr.  Lincoln  returned  with  the  old  woman  riding 
behind  him.  In  a  few  days  thereafter,  Mr.  Enlow  continued, 
he  heard  that  a  boy  baby  was  born  into  the  Lincoln  family  and 
that  it  had  been  given  the  name  of  Abraham.  Mr.  Enlow 
thought  that  possibly  this  little  act  of  kindness  on  his  part  had 
something  to  do  with  the  new  baby  being  named  Abraham,  not 
knowing  quite  likely  that  the  name  was  a  family  name.  Mr. 
Enlow  in  this  conversation  explained  that  Thomas  Lincoln  lived 
at  the  time  the  child  "  Abe  "  was  born  on  what  has  since  been 
known  as  the  Richard  Creal  farm,  and  that  it  was  necessary 
for  him  to  pass  by  it  in  going  from  where  he  (Enlow)  lived  to 
the  old  Kirkpatrick  mill  aforesaid. 

JOHN  C.  FRIEND. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  by  John  C.  Friend  this 
June  30th  1906. 

CHARLES  WILLIAMS 
Notary  Public  for  Larue  Co. 


9.  THE  AFFIDAVIT  OF  CHARLES  WILLIAMS 

STATE  OF  KENTUCKY- 
COUNTY  OF  LARUE 

I,  Charles  Williams,  Notary  Public  in  and  for  the  County 
of  Larue  and  State  of  Kentucky,  hereby  certify  that  I  am  per 
sonally  acquainted  with  each  and  every  witness  who  has  testified 


LA  RUE  COUNTY  AFFIDAVITS       383 

to  the  several  foregoing  affidavits,  as  to  the  birthplace  of  Abra 
ham  Lincoln;  that  I  know  the  families  of  all  save  one,  Jack 
McDougal,  and  considerable  of  the  family  history  of  all,  and  cer 
tify  to  the  fact  that  each  of  these  affiants  is  personally  known  to 
me  to  be  worthy  of  credit  on  oath,  that  their  families,  to  wit :  the 
Walters,  Brownfields,  Friends,  Enlows,  Kieths,  McDougals  and 
Creals  are  now  and  have  been  since  the  early  days  of  Hardin 
and  Lame  counties  among  the  best  and  leading  families  of  this 
section.  A  short  time  ago  I,  in  company  with  my  law  partner, 
Mr.  L.  B.  Handley,  visited  the  old  graveyard  near  South  Fork 
Church,  on  the  south  bank  of  Nolynn,  and  being  shown  the  grave 
stone  of  "  Aunt  Peggy  Walters  "  referred  to  in  the  accompanying 
affidavits,  by  her  grandson,  we  found  that  she  was  born  on 
December  nth  1789  and  died  on  the  26th  day  of  Oct.  1864, 
which  becomes  an  important  fact  in  connection  with  the  statement 
of  her  oldest  son,  the  date  of  her  marriage,  and  her  statement 
that  she  was  present  at  the  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 
Given  under  my  hand  the  loth  day  of  July  1906. 

CHARLES  WILLIAMS 
Notary  Public  for  Larue  Co. 


APPENDIX  VIII 
WHERE  WAS  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  BORN? 

These  appendices  contain  affidavits  and  other  documents  from 
Washington  County,  Kentucky,  tending  to  show  that  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  not  born  in  what  is  now  La  Rue  County,  but  in 
Washington  County,  and  in  the  home  of  Richard  Berry,  where 
his  parents  were  married.  It  is  commonly,  if  not  universally, 
held  in  that  county  that  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  lived  for 
three  or  more  years  with  the  Berrys,  and  later  removed  to 
Hardin  County.  This  affirmation  is  based  on  the  testimony  of 
old  men  after  the  Civil  War  that  they  had  seen  Abraham  Lincoln 
as  a  little  child,  playing  at  the  Berry  home,  and  also  on  a  tax 
return,  believed  to  be  of  the  year  1811,  and  which  contains  the 
name  of  Thomas  Lincoln  as  a  resident  of  Washington  County. 

I  am  rather  sorry  that  Hon.  Joseph  Polin,  County  Attorney 
of  Washington  County,  to  whom  I  am  much  indebted  for  assist 
ance,  has  come  to  question  whether  the  tax  list  referred  to,  and 
which  I  have  examined  carefully,  is  really  of  the  year  1811,  and 
he  has  not  yet  determined  in  what  year  it  belongs.  I  am  still 
hoping  that  it  will  be  found  to  belong  to  1811,  as  it  will  then 
confirm  an  opinion  which  I  hold  tentatively  that  Thomas  and 
Nancy  Lincoln  lived  only  two  winters  in  the  cabin  on  Nolin 
Creek,  where  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born,  and  that  before  they 
made  their  new  home  on  the  Knob  Creek  farm,  from  which,  in 
1816,  they  removed  to  Indiana,  they  returned  for  at  least  a  year  to 
Washington  County,  and  lived  with  Nancy  Hanks'  relatives. 

The  claim  of  Washington  County  to  have  furnished  the  birth 
place  of  Abraham  Lincoln  is  inadmissible.  It  is  honor  enough 
that  his  parents  should  have  been  married  there,  and  that  that 
county  should  have  preserved  the  record  of  the  marriage.  The 
house,  too,  was  preserved,  and  now,  much  remodeled,  it  is  stand 
ing  at  Harrodsburg,  Kentucky,  and  is  used  as  a  sort  of  historical 
museum. 

Some  of  the  early  biographers  of  Lincoln,  apparently  learn 
ing  that  he  was  not  born  in  the  Elizabethtown  cabin,  confused 
it  with  the  Knob  Creek  farmhouse,  and  thus  added  to  the  con- 

384 


WHERE  WAS  LINCOLN  BORN?      885 

fusion.  Henry  J.  Raymond,  of  the  New  York  Tribune,  in  his 
octavo  volume  of  more  than  800  pages,  issued  in  1865,  printed 
a  good  steel  engraving,  with  this  title,  sub-title  and  note: 


THE   EARLY    HOME  OF   ABRAHAM   LINCOLN   AS   IT    NOW   STANDS   IN 
ELIZABETHTOWN,    HARDIN    COUNTY,    KY. 

His  father  built  this  Cabin,  and  moved  into  it  when  Abraham 
was  an  infant,  and  resided  there  until  he  was  seven  years  of 
age  when  he  removed  to  Indiana. 

Thomas  Lincoln  did  not  build  it,  and  Abraham  never  lived  in  it. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  in  the  log  cabin,  now  standing 
inclosed  in  a  marble  temple,  above  the  Rock  Spring,  on  the 
Lincoln  farm,  about  two  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Hodgen- 
ville,  in  what  was  then  Hardin  and  now  is  La  Rue  County,  Ken 
tucky.  The  farm  now  is  owned  by  the  Government,  and  is  a 
national  park.  The  purchase  of  the  farm,  and  the  preservation 
of  the  cabin,  is  due  to  the  good  work  of  the  Lincoln  Farm 
Association.  Of  the  birth  of  this  Association,  and  of  its  suc 
cessful  work  in  preserving  this  important  building,  the  president, 
Mr.  Richard  Lloyd  Jones,  said  on  February  12,  1907: 

The  most  valuable  assets  of  any  nation  are  the  traditions,  the 
sacred  associations,  and  shrines  made  holy  by  the  accumulatory 
love  with  which  successive  generations  bedeck  them.  George 
Eliot  said :  "  No  nation  has  ever  become  great  without  holidays 
and  processions  dedicated  to  the  noble."  The  United  States 
as  yet  is  notoriously  poor  in  this  direction.  This  is  not  wholly 
on  account  of  its  youth,  but  on  account  also  of  the  indifference 
to  spiritual  welfare  which  has  characterized  a  youth  enamored 
of  material  plenty  and  drunk  with  the  prosperity  that  comes  from 
the  easy  conquest  of  fertile  acres  and  exhaustless  mines.  Ameri 
can  youths  have  turned  longing  eyes  toward  the  holy  places  of 
Europe,  and  visited  the  birthplaces  of  Robert  Burns  and  Schiller, 
the  tombs  of  Walter  Scott  and  Victor  Hugo,  and  the  millennial 
monument  of  King  Alfred  at  Winchester;  while  the  birthplace 
of  our  matchless  American — the  strong-handed,  clear-headed,  and 
great-hearted  Lincoln — has  been  left,  after  its  acres  have  been 
impoverished  by  careless  tillage,  to  become  a  humiliation  to  the 
poet  and  the  historian,  and  the  butt  of  ridicule  to  the  irreverent. 

Since  that  strong  yeoman  pioneer,  Thomas  Lincoln,  moved 


386    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

his  family  across  the  Ohio  into  the  almost  unbroken  wilderness 
of  Indiana,  this  historic  ground  has  been  transferred  by  title 
but  three  times.  A  year  ago  last  August  this  "  little  model  farm 
that  raised  a  Man,"  as  Mark  Twain  has  happily  called  it,  was 
placed  on  sale  at  public  auction  on  the  court-house  steps  at 
Hodgenville,  Kentucky,  the  neighboring  town,  to  free  it  from 
the  entanglement  of  a  protracted  litigation  between  a  private 
estate  and  that  of  a  religious  society  that  had  tried  to  acquire  it. 
At  the  time  the  Commonwealth  of  Kentucky  directed  this  public 
sale  it  was  discovered  that  this  historic  spot  was  coveted  by  at 
least  two  large  mercantile  establishments,  both  of  which  were 
planning  to  exploit  it  for  commercial  ends.  To  prevent  this,  and 
believing  that  this  birthplace  of  the  "  First  American  "  should 
forever  belong  to  the  American  people,  one  of  the  present  officers 
of  The  Lincoln  Farm  Association  bought  the  farm,  and  at  once 
interested  a  group  of  representative  American  citizens  in  forming 
a  national  association  for  the  preservation  of  this  ground. 

This  group  of  citizens,  acting  as  a  self-appointed  board  of 
trustees,  organized  the  Lincoln  Farm  Association,  which  was 
promptly  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New 
York.  The  title  of  the  Lincoln  birthplace  farm  was  transferred 
to  this  association,  and  the  program  for  enlarging  the  membership 
of  the  society  was  at  once  begun. 

Rather  than  make  it  possible  for  a  few  men  of  great  wealth 
to  contribute  large  sums  to  the  development  of  this  national 
shrine  it  was  decided  to  receive  into  membership  in  the  society 
any  one  who  contributed  to  the  general  fund  of  the  association 
as  small  a  sum  as  twenty-five  cents,  and  to  limit  all  contributions 
to  twenty-five  dollars — thus  making  the  great  memorial  to  Lin 
coln  represent  the  tributes  of  all  the  people,  whom  he  loved  and 
served,  and  not  those  of  a  privileged  few. 

The  purpose  and  plans  of  this  new  patriotic  society  that  was 
to  make  this  Kentucky  farm,  almost  in  the  center  of  population 
of  the  United  States,  a  worthy  companion  of  Mt.  Vernon  in  the 
affections  of  our  countrymen  were  placed  before  the  President 
of  the  United  States  and  his  Cabinet,  one  of  whom  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  society.  All  gave  it  most  enthusiastic  and 
hearty  support.  The  scheme  was  then  laid  before  members  of 
the  United  States  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  Gov 
ernors  of  States,  men  of  letters  everywhere,  and  educators  of 
national  fame.  With  their  unqualified  endorsement,  a  year  ago 
this  week  the  Lincoln  Farm  Association,  through  the  pages  of 
some  of  the  most  prominent  weekly  and  monthly  publications  and 
the  newspapers  throughout  the  country,  appealed  to  the  American 
public  for  members.  The  response  was  immediate  and  generous. 


WHERE  WAS  LINCOLN  BORN?       38T 

Subscriptions  came  in  from  every  State  in  the  Union — North  and 
South,  East  and  West.  To  every  subscriber  the  Association 
issued  a  handsomely  steel-engraved  certificate  of  membership, 
bearing  a  portrait  of  Lincoln,  a  picture  of  the  log  cabin  in  which 
he  was  born,  the  White  House  as  it  appeared  when  he  occupied 
it,  the  autographs  of  all  the  officers  and  trustees,  and  the  seal 
of  the  Association.  The  names  of  these  members  are  filed  in 
card  catalogues  and  classified  by  States.  When  the  list  of  mem 
bers  has  been  completed  and  the  constructive  work  of  the  Asso 
ciation  has  culminated  in  the  centenary  of  February  12,  1909, 
this  list  will  be  preserved  and  guarded  in  the  Historical  Museum, 
which  will  have  been  erected  on  the  farm,  as  the  honor  roll  that 
built  the  Lincoln  Farm  Memorial. 

The  Lincoln  Farm  Association  to-day  represents  about  twenty 
thousand  members.  The  average  subscription  has  been  a  little 
less  than  a  dollar  and  forty  cents  to  a  member,  and  both  the 
average  of  the  subscriptions  and  the  issue  of  certificates  of  mem 
bership  have  increased  with  each  succeeding  month. 

During  the  year  the  trustees  of  the  Association  have  placed 
the  farm  under  the  personal  charge  of  a  competent  caretaker,  who 
lives  on  the  ground.  They  have  sent  Mr.  Jules  Guerin  and 
Mr.  Guy  Lowell,  two  of  America's  foremost  landscape  architects, 
to  survey  the  ground  and  plan  its  development,  and  they  have 
purchased  the  cabin  in  which  Lincoln  was  born  from  the  specu 
lators  who  took  it  from  the  little  knoll  where  it  originally  stood 
and  exploited  it  as  a  side-show  at  various  fairs  and  international 
expositions.  This  cabin  was  found  stored  in  a  cellar  at  College 
Point,  on  Long  Island,  New  York.  The  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
provided  a  special  car,  which  Mr.  John  Wanamaker  decorated 
with  flags  and  the  national  colors.  The  Governor  of  Kentucky 
sent  to  New  York  a  special  squad  of  State  militiamen  to  escort 
the  old  weather-worn  logs,  Lincoln's  old  Kentucky  home,  back 
to  its  native  soil.  Its  ride  to  Louisville  is  historic.  It  rested  a 
day  under  military  guard  at  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Harrisburg, 
Altoona,  Pittsburg,  Columbus,  and  Indianapolis.  Thousands  of 
citizens  came  to  see  and  begged  the  privilege  of  touching  the 
sacred  pile.  Mayors  of  cities  and  Governors  of  States  paid 
eloquent  tribute  to  the  rude  timbers  that  first  sheltered  the  sad 
humorist  of  the  Sangamon.  And  when  at  last  the  special  train 
that  bore  it,  brilliant  in  red,  white,  and  blue,  crossed  the  Ohio 
into  its  native  border  State  it  was  met  at  the  Louisville  depot 
with  martial  music  and  military  honors.  It  was  carted  through 
the  city's  streets  and  placed  in  the  city's  park,  where  Colonel 
Henry  Watterson,  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Association,  and 
Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  former  Vice-President  of  the  United  States, 


388    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

himself  a  Kentuckian,  made  the  formal  orations  welcoming  back 
to  its  native  soil  the  cabin  in  which  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
born. 

The  most  cordial  cooperation  has  been  pledged  by  many  o! 
the  surviving  commanding  generals  of  the  Confederate  Army, 
and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  has  officially  endorsed  the 
work  of  the  Association,  and  empowered  its  commander-in-chief 
to  call  upon  its  upwards  of  six  thousand  posts  and  to  enlisting 
all  patriotic  citizens  as  members  of  the  Association. 

On  the  1 2th  day  of  February,  1909,  the  nation  will  celebrate 
the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  Lincoln's  birth.  On  that  day 
the  Lincoln  Farm  Association  will  dedicate  the  birthplace  farm 
to  the  American  people.  The  principal  address  will  be  made 
by  President  Roosevelt,  and  the  nation's  most  distinguished 
representatives,  North  and  South,  will  take  part  in  this  dedication 
and  centennial  celebration.  No  national  park  within  our  vast 
domain  can  emphasize  our  national  ideals  and  our  abiding  union 
as  will  this  birthplace  farm. 

Ninety-eight  years  have  passed  since  these  rough  rolling  acres 
made  claim  to  the  affections  of  coming  generations.  The  soil 
which  cradled  the  man  of  tender  strength,  and  the  air  which 
first  fed  the  heart  that  suffered  for  a  whole  distracted  people, 
and  not  for  a  single  section,  can  serve  a  nobler  end  than  ripening 
corn  and  squashes.  The  inspiration  of  high  citizenship  must  ever 
emanate  from  such  a  spot.  In  these  years,  so  crammed  with 
eager  life  and  so  possessed  with  appetite  for  gain,  the  lesson 
of  the  Lincoln  Farm  becomes  the  nation's  imperative  need. 
Democracy  is  ever  humble.  The  full-grown  souls  made  at  simple 
shrines  are  worth  our  emulation.  The  light  of  history  is  with 
each  succeeding  year  revealing  with  greater  clearness  the  rare 
beauty  of  Lincoln's  strong  spirit.  He  harmonized  his  high  ideals 
of  speech  with  conduct;  and  back  of  the  black  clouds  of  passion 
through  which  this  uncouth  figure  led  his  divided  people  there 
always  shone  the  soft  radiance  of  a  love  unsoiled  by  a  single 
touch  of  hate.  The  country  not  only  reveres  the  memory  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  but  it  loves  the  man.  To  his  people — the 
"  plain  people  " — shall  ever  be  entrusted  the  care  of  his  first 
home,  and  there  they  shall,  as  he  himself  said  he  always  tried 
to  do,  "  pluck  a  thistle  and  plant  a  flower  wherever  a  flower  will 
grow." 

The  past  half  century's  unparalleled  development  of  material 
riches  and  prosperity  has  not  given  our  nation  the  supremacy  of 
the  commercial  world  without  cost.  Our  keener  patriotic  sensi 
bilities  have  been  dulled  in  the  strenuous  competition  for  indi 
vidual  success.  It  is  a  pathetic  truth  which  supports  Colonel 


WHERE  WAS  LINCOLN  BORN?       389 

Henry  Watterson's  assertion  that  to-day  we  love  the  dollar  as 
once  we  loved  liberty.  Though  we  are  a  virile  people  we  are 
not  without  need  of  these  things  that  remind  us  of  times  when 
cheeks  blushed  for  the  sorrows  of  men. 

To  Lincoln's  people  to-day  is  given  the  rare  privilege  of 
revealing  to  all  generations  to  come  that  high  strain  of  patriotism 
known  to  Lincoln's  men  of  nearly  fifty  years  ago.  If  laws 
safeguard  nations  less  than  songs,  and  sentiment  alone  inspires 
the  souls  of  men,  how  better  can  we  ensure  the  perpetuation 
of  our  country's  glory  than  by  keeping  alive  and  before  us  the 
heroic  and  unselfish  achievements  of  those  who  made  firm  our 
foundations  in  the  past? 

This  birthplace  farm  will  symbolize  to  our  posterity  the  strong 
heroism  that  left  the  New  England  hills  and  the  fertile  valleys 
of  Virginia,  self-sufficient  in  their  needs,  to  hew  a  nation  out  of 
a  wilderness.  It  lies  in  the  neutral  State  that  in  our  great  crisis 
was  torn  by  its  loyalty  to  all  the  stars  in  the  flag.  It  will  forever 
be  a  monument  to  our  union  rather  than  to  our  lamentable  differ 
ences — and  it  will  be  the  most  signal  tribute  ever  paid  by  the 
American  people  to  the  nation's  greatest  servant. 

Richard  Lloyd  Jones,  who  represented  Collier's  Weekly  in 
the  purchase  of  the  Lincoln  Farm,  and  was  made  President  of 
Lincoln  Farm  Association,  was  at  the  time  managing  editor  of 
Collier's  Weekly.  It  was  through  his  influence,  in  good  part, 
that  Mr.  Collier  became  interested.  Back  of  the  interest  of  Mr. 
Jones  lay  the  interest  of  his  father,  Rev.  Jenkin  Lloyd  Jones, 
Pastor  of  All  Soul's  Church,  Chicago,  editor  of  Unity,  veteran  of 
the  Civil  War,  and  fearless  champion  of  a  hundred  good  causes. 
Jenkin  Lloyd  Jones,  more  than  any  other  man,  deserves  to  be 
remembered  as  the  rescuer  of  the  Lincoln  Birthplace. 

He  visited  the  place  in  February,  1904,  and  found  it  neglected 
and  held  in  no  high  local  regard.  He  wrote  an  article  which  was 
published  in  Unity  March  24,  1904,  calling  on  Congress  to  pur 
chase  the  farm  and  on  the  people  to  contribute  memorial  buildings, 
museum,  and  so  on.  His  whole  plan  has  not  been  followed,  and 
need  not  here  be  reprinted,  but  the  substance  of  his  article  and 
plea  was  this : 

A  slow,  chilly  drive  through  a  drizzling  rain  over  a  pasty  red 
clay  road  of  three  miles  from  the  little  village  of  Hodgenville, 
Kentucky,  brought  me  to  the  cradle  spot  of  the  greatest  American, 
the  sole  American  who  shares  with  Washington  the  love  and 
admiration  of  the  civilized  world.  Washington  and  Lincoln  are 


390    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

the  two  names  that  have  been  lifted  above  all  sectional,  party  and 
social  prejudices.  They  have  ceased  even  to  be  American — they 
belong  to  Humanity.  King  and  Peasant,  Monarchy  and  Republic, 
rich  and  poor,  foreign  and  native,  North  and  South,  unite  in 
honoring  them. 

It  is  a  touching  tribute  to  both  that  their  names  are  so  often 
connected  and  are  fast  becoming  indissoluble.  In  the  estimation 
of  the  competent  as  well  as  in  the  admiration  of  the  young  it  is 
not  Washington  or  Lincoln,  but  it  is  Washington  and  Lincoln. 
There  is  no  occasion  for  invidious  comparison.  So  different  are 
they  there  is  no  chance  for  rival  interests,  for  local  or  other 
jealousies.  So  removed  are  they  in  time  and  temperament,  so 
different  were  their  tasks,  that  they  can  never  be  considered  as 
antagonists  or  rivals.  Washington  created,  Lincoln  perpetuated. 
Washington  directed  the  crude  forces  of  a  primitive  country, 
Lincoln  directed  and  controlled  the  same  forces  grown  turbulent 
and  for  a  mad  space  of  time  defiant  and  antagonistic 

Proud  is  the  Nation  that  has  produced  both  a  Washington 
and  a  Lincoln,  so  different  and  yet  so  near  akin.  Washington 
was  noble;  so  was  Lincoln,  but  he  was  loving  too.  Washington 
was  just;  so  was  Lincoln,  but  he  added  to  justice,  gentleness. 
Washington  was  sagacious;  so  was  Lincoln,  and  he  was  also 
witty.  Washington  was  pre-eminently  guided  by  the  head,  he 
was  the  judgment  of  his  people  and  his  cause;  Lincoln,  not 
wanting  in  judgment,  was  dominated  by  the  heart;  he  was  the 
providence  of  his  people,  the  friend  of  his  foes,  and  in  the  light  of 
time  his  foes  have  become  his  appreciative  friends  and  loyal 
champions. 

And  still  the  birthplace  of  this  great  American  is  the  picture 
of  desolation  and  neglect.  The  humble  cabin  wherein  he  was 
born  has  been  carried  away  as  a  curious  show;  there  remain  to 
mark  the  spot  only  a  crude  pole  set  in  the  ground  and  a  few 
flagstones  left  there  by  Nature  or  by  chance.  Even  the  famous 
spring  of  water  is  desecrated  and  neglected  accessible  to  pigs, 
cattle  and  horses.  This  spring  still  flows  with  delicious  water, 
but  the  pilgrim  who  drinks  from  it  must  drink  as  I  was  glad 
to  do  without  the  help  of  cup  or  goblet.  It  still  pours  its  wealth 
of  water  from  under  the  overhanging  cliffs,  as  it  did  when  it  at 
tracted  Thomas  Lincoln,  the  carpenter,  and  led  him  to  pre 
empt  his  homestead,  to  cut  the  logs  and  to  build  the  hut  into 
which  he  brought  his  bride,  Nancy  Hanks,  and  where  the  three  chil 
dren  were  born  to  them. 

The  great  trees  are  gone,  but  the  ride  of  sixty-four  miles 
from  Louisville  enables  the  tourist  to  judge  even  yet  what  the 
great  forest  must  have  been  in  its  pristine  glory.  The  solitary 
sycamores,  the  stately  elms,  the  great  oaks  and  the  vigilant  pines 


WHERE  WAS  LINCOLN  BORN?       391 

that  still  remain,  suggest  the  impressive  surroundings  of  the 
little  cabin  into  which,  on  the  twelfth  day  of  February,  1809, 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  born.  The  farm  of  no  acres,  the  title  of 
which  is  only  two  or  three  removes  from  the  land  warrant  of 
Thomas  Lincoln,  is  now  worse  than  an  abandoned  field.  The 
title  is  in  litigation,  and  the  local  estimate  holds  the  land  well 
nigh  valueless.  Fifteen  hundred  dollars  was  mentioned  as  an 
extravagant  price  for  it.  An  old  house  in  a  state  of  advanced 
dilapidation  remains  on  the  place  and  is  occupied  by  an  intelligent 
man  of  the  mountain  type,  who  seems  to  act  as  an  unauthorized, 
at  least  as  an  unremunerated  custodian.  A  bill  was  introduced 
into  the  Kentucky  Legislature  a  few  weeks  ago  for  the  purchase 
by  the  State  of  this  farm  and  providing  for  setting  it  apart  as  a 
memorial  park,  forever  dedicated  to  the  public;  but  the  fate  of 
this  bill  seemed  to  be  a  matter  of  supreme  indifference  to  the 
residents  of  Hodgenville;  indeed,  its  very  existence  appeared  to 
be  unknown  to  many  of  them.  The  attitude  of  this  otherwise 
thrifty  little  village  seems  to  be  that  of  indifference,  not  of  igno 
rance.  My  driver  expressed  the  public  sentiment  when  he  said, 
"  We  people  here  think  it  mighty  common,  but  folks  what  come 
from  north  of  the  Ohio  river  make  a  great  to-do  about  it,  and 
fuss  around  cutting  sas'f ras  sticks  and  the  like."  Surely  this  ought 
not  to  be.  The  intelligence  of  our  own  country,  our  obligation 
to  the  future  and  our  respect  for  the  "  consensus  of  the  com 
petent  "  of  the  world  over  ought  to  lift  this  neglected  shrine  into 
the  dignity  and  respect  that  become  the  birthplace  of  a  great 
historical  character. 

This  cannot  be  done  by  local  enthusiasm,  nor  does  it  seem 
to  me  to  be  a  State  problem  or  obligation.  It  is  a  national  lesson, 
a  national  opportunity  which  rises  into  a  national  obligation. 
Surely  the  government  that  is  expending  millions  of  dollars  on  the 
historic  parks  of  Arlington,  Gettysburg,  Chickamauga,  Missionary 
Ridge  and  Vicksburg,  could  spend  a  few  thousands  in  preserving 
this  shrine  as  a  pacific  memorial  to  the  civilian  whose  splendor 
outshines  all  the  epauleted  heroes  of  all  our  wars. 

How  is  this  to  be  done?  First  let  the  Lincoln  farm  be  bought 
by  the  Government,  then  all  else  will  follow  easily.  Once  the 
title  is  secured,  a  sense  of  permanence  and  of  adequate  mainten 
ance  will  be  assured.  Then  something  like  the  following  should 
speedily  follow: 

A  word  as  to  the  general  treatment  of  the  farm.  It  should 
be  all  fenced  with  a  good  honest  rail  fence,  worm  pattern,  six 
rails  high,  properly  blocked,  staked  and  ridered — "  such  a  fence 
as  father  used  to  build."  Such  a  fence  could  be  made  picturesque, 
for  there  is  the  possibility  of  art  in  a  rail  fence  as  there  is  in  a 
marble  statue. 


392    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

The  farm  is  divided  by  a  public  road.  On  the  spring  side 
it  should  be  brought  to  as  high  a  stage  of  park  cultivation  as  pos 
sible  ;  lawn  treatment  with  a  few  sheep,  a  lot  of  chickens  and  one 
or  two  old-fashioned  little  red  cows,  not  the  new-fashioned  Jer 
seys.  The  opposite  section  of  the  farm,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
road,  should  be  restored  as  soon  as  possible  to  forest  glory.  Let 
all  the  old  trees  be  planted  back,  the  necessary  walks  arranged 
for,  and  then  let  Nature  do  her  work,  and  a  hundred  years  from 
now  there  will  be  a  forest  indeed,  dense  and  majestic,  such  as 
the  botanist  will  delight  to  visit.  Near  the  entrance  on  the  spring 
side  let  the  Government  put  the  noblest  statue  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  that  art  ever  produced.  Awaiting  something  better,  this 
might  well  be  a  replica  of  St.  Gaudens'  noble  statue,  now 
situated  in  Lincoln  Park,  Chicago,  the  most  worthy  representation 
of  the  great  emancipator  yet  modeled  by  sculptor's  hand. 

Has  the  time  not  come?  Abraham  Lincoln  can  wait;  his 
fame  is  sure,  but  the  American  children  and  coming  generations 
cannot  afford  to  lose  the  passing  opportunity.  The  old  settlers 
are  dying,  the  back  woods  are  nearly  all  cleared,  the  type  of 
American  life  represented  by  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln  is  fast 
passing  away.  Even  the  relics  of  that  life  are  becoming  scarce, 
and  that  life  is  too  valuable,  too  full  of  spiritual  potency,  to 
pregnant  with  divine  grace  and  power  to  be  forgotten  and  lost. 
For  this  reason  there  is  occasion  for  haste.  Let  the  legislators 
at  Washington  cease  for  awhile  their  clamorings  and  their  clash- 
ings  in  the  interests  of  parties,  sections  and  the  enginery  of 
destruction,  and  apply  themselves  to  this  constructive  task,  so 
easily  accomplished,  so  filled  with  pacific  potencies,  so  benignant 
a  contribution  to  history. 

Theodore  Roosevelt,  then  President  of  the  United  States, 
was  the  principal  speaker  on  the  day  when  the  Lincoln  Memorial 
was  dedicated;  but  on  Sunday,  February  n,  1917,  not  many 
months  before  his  own  death,  a  service  of  remembrance  was 
held  at  the  farm  near  Hodgenville,  and  Jenkin  Lloyd  Jones  was 
the  chief  orator.  He  was  permitted  to  see  of  the  fruit  of  his  own 
toil.  The  author  of  this  volume  met  him  a  few  days  afterward 
at  Cumberland  Gap,  and  the  glow  of  that  memory  was  still  upon 
the  heroic  old  soldier. 

The  early  illustrated  biographies  of  Lincoln  contain  a  steel 
engraving  showing  what  purports  to  have  been  his  birthplace. 
Even  in  the  Lincoln  home  in  Springfield,  this  engraving  is  shown 
as  "  the  house  where  Mr.  Lincoln  was  born  and  where  he  lived 
the  first  seven  years  of  his  life."  Even  the  Chicago  Historical 


WHERE  WAS  LINCOLN  BORN?       393 

Society  displayed  the  engraving  with  the  same  information  until 
it  was  recently  corrected.  That  picture  is  not  of  the  house 
where  Lincoln  was  born,  but  of  the  house  where  Thomas  and 
Nancy  lived  in  Elizabethtown  when  they  were  first  married, 
and  which  the  early  biographers  assumed  to  have  been  also  his 
birthplace.  A  number  of  reputable  works  have  easily,  and  par 
donably,  fallen  into  the  same  error. 

Even  among  such  cabins  as  abounded  in  primitive  Kentucky, 
the  Lincoln  home  was  humble.  Many  log  houses  had  two  rooms, 
with  an  open  porch  between  and  a  stone  fireplace  at  each  end. 
Not  so  the  Lincoln  house,  which  was  small  and  with  a  stick 
chimney. 

The  farm  which  Thomas  Lincoln  occupied  was  as  sterile  as 
any  in  the  region.  It  was  nearly  destitute  of  timber  and  its 
growth  was  low  bushes  and  "  barren  grass."  The  land  was  pleas 
antly  rolling,  and  nearly  all  of  it  tillable.  But  the  soil  was  a 
stubborn  clay,  which  even  now  is  only  meagerly  productive.  If 
Thomas  Lincoln  had  been  a  very  enterprising  man  he  would  have 
bought  a  better  farm,  for  land  was  the  cheapest  thing  in  sight  in 
those  days  and  no  one  possessed  of  enterprise  had  difficulty  in 
buying  a  really  good  tract. 

What  title,  if  any,  Thomas  Lincoln  ever  had  to  this  farm  is 
not  known.  Recorded  deeds  were  few.,  Land  transfers  were 
commonly  made  on  what  was  called  a  land  bond.  The  bond  by 
which  a  portion  of  this  same  farm,  including  the  site  of  the 
birthplace,  came  into  the  possession  of  the  Creal  family  is  in 
existence.  It  is  signed  by  E.  Duckworth,  who  had  inherited  it 
from  William  Duckworth,  deceased,  and  is  made  to  Micajah 
Middleton  under  date  of  August  17,  1827.  A  year  later,  on 
July  21,  1828,  Micajah  Middleton  endorsed  this  contract  to 
Richard  Creal,  whose  name  in  the  contract  is  spelled  Crail.  The 
maker  of  such  a  bond  was  theoretically  required  at  any  time  to 
change  a  warranty  deed  for  it,  but  in  a  majority  of  cases  this 
formality  was  dispensed  with. 

It  is  not  known  that  Thomas  Lincoln  had  even  this  kind  of 
title.  Land  was  sometimes  taken  over  by  verbal  contract  and 
boundaries  were  established  by  piling  a  little  brush  at  each  of  the 
corners.  Exact  boundaries  were  seldom  attempted,  excepting 
where  a  stream  or  other  natural  object  gave  a  fixed  line.  Tech 
nically,  Thomas  Lincoln's  title  to  the  place  where  his  son  Abraham 
was  born  may  have  been  nothing  more  than  that  of  a  squatter; 


394    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

but  even  squatters'  titles  had  a  value  in  that  day  and  they  were 
generally  respected.  Whatever  the  character  of  Thomas  Lin 
coln's  claim  upon  this  land,  it  afforded  him  all  the  protection 
he  needed  during  the  brief  period  of  his  occupancy.  This  is 
supposed  to  have  been  about  four  years,  but  there  is  good  reason 
to  doubt  his  living  there  for  even  so  long  a  period  as  this. 


APPENDIX  IX 
DOCUMENTS  OF  THE  LINCOLN  FAMILY 

1.  THE   WILL   OF   ISAAC   LINCOLN 

In  the  name  of  God,  Amen.  I,  Isaac  Lincoln,  of  the  County 
of  Carter  and  State  of  Tennessee,  being  sick  and  weak  of  body, 
but  of  sound  mind  and  disposing  memory  (for  which  I  thank 
God)  and  calling  to  mind  the  uncertainty  of  human  life,  and 
being  desirous  to  dispose  of  all  such  worldly  substance  as  it  has 
pleased  God  to  bless  me  with,  I  give,  devise,  and  bequeath  the 
same  in  manner  following,  that  is  to  say: 

1st.  I  desire  that  all  my  just  debts  and  funeral  expenses  be 
paid  out  of  my  perishable  property,  by  my  executrix  hereinafter 
named. 

2ndly.  After  the  payment  of  my  debts  and  funeral  expenses, 
I  give,  devise  and  bequeath  to  my  wife,  Mary  Lincoln,  all  my 
real  and  personal  estate  to  dispose  of  as  she  may  think  proper. 

3rdly  and  lastly.  I  do  hereby  constitute  and  appoint  my  be 
loved  wife,  Mary  Lincoln,  my  sole  executrix  of  this  my  last  will 
and  testament,  hereby  revoking  all  others  or  former  wills  or 
testaments,  by  me  heretofore  made.  In  witness  whereof  I  have 
hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal  this  the  22nd  day  of  April  in  the 
Year  of  our  Lord,  1816. 

Signed,  Sealed,  Published  and  Declared  to  be  the  last  will 
and  testament  of  the  above  named  Isaac  Lincoln,  in  the  presence 
of  us,  who  at  his  request  and  in  his  presence  have  hereunto  sub 
scribed  our  names  as  witnesses  to  same. 

(Signed)  ISAAC  LINCOLN. 

GEORGE  W.  CARTER. 

GODFREY  CARRIGER. 

DANIEL  STOVER. 

CHRISTIAN  CARRIGER. 

2.  THE   WILL  OF    MARY   LINCOLN 

I,  Mary  Lincoln,  of  the  County  of  Carter  in  the  State  of  Ten 
nessee,  being  of  sound  mind  and  memory,  though  weak  of  body, 
and  being  anxious  to  dispose  of  all  such  worldly  property  as 
my  Creator  has  left  me  with,  do  hereby  make,  ordain  and  estab 
lish  this  as  my  last  will  and  testament.  I  give  my  soul  to  God 


896    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

who  created  it,  hoping  that  He  will  receive  and  bless  me  in  a 
world  of  happiness  hereafter;  and  when  I  shall  have  departed 
this  life,  I  desire  that  my  executor  hereinafter  named  shall  give 
my  body  a  decent  and  Christian  burial. 

First.  I  will,  give,  devise  and  bequeath  to  Campbell  Crow, 
the  lower  plantation,  it  being  the  one  on  which  he  now  lives, 
adjoining  the  lands  of  Alfred  M.  Carter  on  the  West  and  South, 
and  of  John  Carriger  on  the  East. 

Second.  I  will,  give,  and  bequeath  to  Phoebe  Crow,  wife  of 
Campbell  Crow,  my  negro  girl,  Margaret  and  her  four  children, 
to  wit,  Lucy,  Mina,  Martin  and  Mahalla. 

Third.  I  will,  give,  devise  and  bequeath  to  William  Stover, 
the  plantation  on  which  I  now  live,  with  all  the  hereditaments 
appurtenances  to  the  same  belonging,  the  said  plantation  sup 
posed  to  be  composed  of  two  different  parcels  and  adjoining 
John  Carriger's  home  plantation  and  believed  also  to  adjoin  the 
land  of  Alfred  M.  Carter  on  the  South  and  bounded  on  the  East 
and  North  by  Watauga  River. 

I  give  the  said  plantation  to  the  said  William  Stover,  to  have, 
hold  and  enjoy  during  his  life  and  at  his  death  to  descend  to 
his  heirs. 

Fourth.  I  will,  give,  and  bequeath  to  William  Stover,  the 
following  negroes,  to  wit,  Patsy  (a  negro  girl)  and  her  two 
children,  Cynthia  and  Landon ;  also  negro  woman,  Jane  and  her 
two  children  Sam  and  Tom;  also  negro  woman  Mary  and  her 
six  children,  to  wit,  Elizabeth,  Campbell,  Margaret,  Charlotte, 
Delphy  and  Bill ;  also  Caesar  and  Lucy,  to  whom  I  desire  the 
said  William  Stover  to  permit  to  remain  during  their  lives  on  the 
plantation  which  I  have  hereinbefore  bequeathed  to  him.  It 
is  my  will  that  the  said  Stover,  so  long  as  the  said  Caesar  and 
Lucy  continue  to  live,  shall  clothe  and  support  them.  I  also  give 
and  bequeath  to  the  said  William  Stover,  to  wit,  George,  Phoebe, 
Eliza,  children  of  Lucy,  whom  I  wish  the  said  William  Stover 
to  remain  on  the  home  plantation  that  they  may  take  care  of  the 
aforesaid  negroes,  Caesar  and  Lucy  during  their  lives. 

I  also  give  and  bequeath  the  following  other  negroes  to  the 
said  William  Stover,  to  wit,  Esther,  and  her  seven  children,  that 
is  to  say,  Lavisa,  Violet,  Juba,  Lucinda,  Mary,  Lewis,  and  Phoeba. 
I  also  give  and  bequeath  to  the  said  William  Stover,  two  other 
negroes,  to  wit,  William  and  Isaac,  children  of  Lucy. 

Fifth.  I  also  give,  devise  and  bequeath  to  the  said  William 
Stover,  all  my  horses,  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep,  my  wagon,  all 
my  farming  utensils,  my  household  and  kitchen  furniture  and 
all  the  debts,  dues  and  demands  which  may  be  owing  to  me  at 
the  time  of  my  decease. 


DOCUMENTS  OF  LINCOLN  FAMILY    397 

Sixth.  I  also  will,  give  and  bequeath  to  Campbell  Crow  my 
interest  in  any  crop  which  he  may  have  attended  for  himself 
upon  my  land,  or  which  he  may  be  attending  for  himself  upon 
my  land  at  the  time  of  my  decease. 

Seventh.  I  also  will,  give  and  bequeath  to  William  Stover 
all  the  grain  of  every  description  which  I  own  at  the  time  of 
my  death. 

Eighth.  I  will,  give  and  devise  and  bequeath  to  Christian 
Carriger,  Senior,  the  following  negroes,  to  wit:  Negro  woman 
Letty  and  five  of  her  children,  to  wit,  Christy,  Tennessee,  Mor- 
decai,  Nathaniel,  and  also  said  Letty's  youngest  child. 

Ninth.  I  will,  give  and  devise  to  Mary  Lincoln  Carriger, 
daughter  of  Christian  Carriger,  Senior,  two  negro  girls,  children 
of  Letty,  to  wit,  Sarah,  Seraphina  and  Ann. 

Tenth.  I  will,  devise,  give  and  bequeath  to  William  Stover 
all  the  other  real  and  personal  estate,  not  hereinbefore  specifically 
named  of  which  I  may  be  possessed,  or  the  owner  at  the  time 
of  my  decease. 

Eleventh.  I  require  the  said  William  Stover  out  of  the  estate 
herein  bequeathed  to  him  to  pay  and  discharge  all  the  honest 
debts  or  claims  which  I  may  be  owing  or  which  may  be  against 
me  at  the  time  of  my  death. 

Lastly.  I  do  hereby  constitute,  nominate  and  appoint  the 
said  William  Stover  the  executor  of  this  my  last  will  and  testa 
ment,  and  it  is  my  will  that  the  said  William  Stover  be  not 
required  to  give  any  security  for  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as 
executor  of  this  my  last  will  and  testament. 

In  testimony  whereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal 
this  the  27th  day  of  April  in  the  Year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  thirty  four. 

her 

MARY    X    LINCOLN  (Seal), 
mark 

Signed,  sealed  and  acknowledged  in  the  presence  of 

THOS.  A.  R.  NELSON 
A.  M.  CARTER 
A.  W.  TAYLOR. 

3.     THE   FAMILY   OF   ISAAC   LINCOLN 

Memoranda  of  James  G.  Jenkins,  Elizabethtown,  Tenn.,  from 
letters  in  1914  and  1915,  to  D.  J.  Knotts. 

I  went  to  see  L.  W.  Hampton,  a  grandson  of  Johnson  Hamp 
ton,  the  horse-trader  you  spoke  of.  He  says  he  had  always  un 
derstood  that  his  grandfather,  Johnson  (not  John)  Hampton  was 


398    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

a  horse-trader  and  visited  North  Carolina,  West  Virginia  and 
South  Carolina  in  his  travels.  At  the  time  of  my  call  Mrs. 
Hampton  had  become  a  spiritualist  and  Mr.  Hampton  was  getting 
into  the  business  also.  In  a  short  time  he  lost  his  mind  over 
spiritualism  and  is  now  in  the  insane  asylum.  He  came  to  me 
and  told  me  that  he  had  called  up  the  spirit  of  his  grandfather 
and  his  grandfather  refused  to  talk  on  the  subject  very  much. 
He  came  to  the  conclusion  that  his  grandfather  was  the  father 
of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Isaac  Lincoln  married  Mary  Ward,  and  my  great  grand 
father,  Daniel  Stover,  married  also  a  Ward,  a  sister  of  Mary. 
Isaac  had  one  child  and  it  was  drowned  when  very  young.  They 
took  my  great  uncle,  William  Stover  and  raised  him,  and  at 
Mrs.  Lincoln's  death  he  inherited  most  of  their  estate.  They 
were  wealthy  for  their  day.  William  Stover  married  Miss  Sarah 
Drake,  who  claimed  to  be  a  descendant  of  Sir  Francis  Drake. 
The  Stovers  came  to  Tennessee  from  Pennsylvania  and  were  of 
German  descent.  They  were  Baptists. 

There  is  a  tradition  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  here 
and  his  parents  took  him  to  Kentucky  when  a  babe  in  their  arms. 
There  was  a  cabin  on  the  side  of  Lynn  Mountain,  near  Isaac's 
residence,  where  Tom  lived.  Dr.  Nat  Hyder,  who  has  been  dead 
many  years,  gathered  up  much  history  and  he  contended  that 
Abe  was  born  here  and  was  taken  to  Kentucky,  when  a  babe. 

This  valley  was  settled  by  God-fearing  people.  At  first  the 
Presbyterians  predominated,  but  the  Baptists,  being  more  evan 
gelical,  grew  faster.  Now  the  Baptists  predominate,  with  Meth 
odists  second  in  numbers. 

No  family  stood  higher  here  than  the  Stovers.  I  never  heard 
of  one  of  their  women  going  astray.  They  were  noted  for 
their  purity.  Colonel  Daniel  Stover  married  Miss  Mary  Johnson, 
daughter  of  President  Andrew  Johnson.  My  grandfather  was 
Solomon  Hendrix  Stover,  son  of  Daniel  Stover  and  brother  of 
William  Stover. 

I  am  under  the  impression  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born 
here,  but  of  course  have  no  way  to  prove  it.  Of  course  Ken 
tucky  claims  him. 

4.     ABRAHAM  LINCOLN'S  ACCOUNT  OF   HIS  GRANDFATHER 
AND  UNCLES 

In  a  letter  addressed  to  David  Lincoln,  of  Virginia,  and  written 
from  Washington,  April  2,  1848,  and  included  in  his  works  edited 
by  Nicolay  and  Hay,  Vol.  I.,  page  117,  Abraham  Lincoln  said, 
among  other  things : 


DOCUMENTS  OF  LINCOLN  FAMILY    399 

There  is  no  longer  any  doubt  that  your  Uncle  Abraham  and 
my  grandfather  was  the  same  man.  His  family  did  reside  in 
Washington  County,  Kentucky,  just  as  you  say  you  found  them, 
in  1801  or  1802.  The  oldest  son,  Uncle  Mordecai,  near  twenty 
years  ago,  removed  from  Kentucky  to  Hancock  County,  Illinois, 
where  within  a  year  or  two  afterward  he  died,  and  where  his 
surviving  children  now  live.  His  two  sons  there  now  are  Abra 
ham  and  Mordecai,  and  their  postoffice  is  La  Harp. 

Uncle  Josiah,  farther  back  than  my  recollection,  went  from 
Kentucky  to  Blue  River,  Indiana.  .  .  . 

My  father,  Thomas,  is  still  living  in  Coles  County,  Illinois, 
being  in  the  seventy-first  year  of  his  age.  His  postoffice  is 
Charleston,  Coles  County,  Illinois.  I  am  his  only  child.  I  am 
in  my  fortieth  year  and  live  in  Springfield,  Sangamon  County, 
Illinois. 

I  think  my  father  has  told  me  that  his  grandfather  had  four 
brothers,  Isaac,  Jacob,  John  and  Thomas.  Is  this  correct?.  And 
which  of  them  was  your  father?  Are  any  of  them  alive?  I 
am  quite  sure  that  Isaac  resided  on  Watauga,  near  a  point  where 
Tennessee  and  Virginia  join,  and  that  he  has  been  dead  more 
than  twenty,  perhaps  thirty  years.  Also  that  Thomas  removed 
to  Kentucky,  near  Lexington,  where  he  died  a  good  many  years 
ago. 


APPENDIX  X 
HANKS  MEMORANDA 

I.     THE  WILL  OF  LUKE  HANKS 

In  the  name  of  God,  Amen,  I  Luke  Hanks  of  South  Carolina, 
Pendleton  County,  being  now  in  a  weake  and  low  state  of  health 
but  sound  of  memory  do  make  this  my  last  will  and  testament 
this  twenty  first  day  of  May  seventeen  hundred  and  eighty  nine 
in  maner  and  for  following  viz. 

Imperimus  I  bequeath  my  sole  to  allmighty  God  in  hopes  of 
a  blessed  and  glorious  reserrection  thro  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ 
my  savior  and  my  body  to  the  Earth  to  have  a  decent  and  Chris 
tian  Burial  at  the  charge  of  my  executors  and  as  touching  and 
concerning  such  worldly  goods  as  it  hath  pleased  God  to  bestow 
upon  me  I  give  bequeath  dispose  them  in  the  maner  and  form 
following  in  the  first  place  I  will  that  my  just  debts  and  funeral 
charges  be  pade. 

Item  I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  dear  and  well  beloved  wife 
Ann  Hanks  all  my  hole  estate  real  and  personal  during  her  nat 
ural  life  and  at  her  death  to  be  equally  divide  among  all  my  chil 
dren  and  if  any  of  my  children  should  marry  I  will  that  my 
wife  may  dispose  of  any  of  my  estate  to  them  toward  their  sus 
tenance  but  shall  be  accounted  for  at  her  death  to  rest  of  the 
children  and  lastly  I  constitute  and  ordain  my  loving  wife,  Anne 
Hanks  executrix  and  my  friend  John  Haynie  executor  of  this 
my  last  will  and  testament  sind  with  my  hand  and  sealed  with 
my  seal  the  day  and  year  within  written. 

his 

LUKE    X    HANKS. 
mark 

In  presence  of 

BLAKE  MAULDIN 
JOHN  REAVES. 


Note  apparently  by  Clerk  of  Court: 

There  is  no  papers  with  the  will  showing  what  disposition 
was  made  of  the  land. 

400 


HANKS  MEMORANDA  401 


2.     INVENTORY   AND   APPRAISEMENT   OF    ESTATE   OF   LUKE    HANKS, 

DECEASED 

Recorded  in  Book  No.  i,  page  106,  Records  of  Probate  Court 
of  Abbeville  County,  South  Carolina;  furnished  by  J.  F.  Miller, 
Judge  of  Probate,  January  17,  1911,  and  certified  with  seal  of 
the  Court. 

I.  Inventory. 

We  the  underscribers  in  obedience  to  our  order  of  the  Court 
of  Abbeville  County  to  us  directed,  do  make  the  following  in 
ventory  and  appraisment  of  the  estate  of  Luke  Hanks,  deceased, 
to  wit: 

L         S        d 

2  Cows  and  Calves — 747 — One  Steer — 357 — 
One  Heifer  2O/  6  —    9  —  8 

1  Mare  and  Colt — 1507 — One  Bay  Filly — So/. . .   IT  —  10  —  o 

2  Bells — 5/6 — 6    Hogs — at     io/    each    6o/ — 

4  Shoats — 12/ 3  —  17  —  6 

i  Feather  Bed  &  Furniture — I2O/ — i  do  do — 160 
— do — do — 60  17  —    o  —  o 

1  Chest — 12/6 — i    Table   3/ — i    Churn — 3/ — i 

Tub  2/— i—    0  —  6 

2  Sad  Irons — 4/ — 2  Hammers — 3/ — I  Pr — Nip 
pers — i/ — o  —    8  —  o 

Table  Utencils — 12/ — Parcel  of  plantation  tools 

— 39/  2  —  ii— o 

2  Iron — &  Hooks  &  other  kitchen  furniture 2  —  9  —  o 

A  Parcel  of  Pewter  &  Tin— 45/—  i  Muskett  Gun 

— 17/6  3—  2  —  6 

A  Parcel  of  Leather— 57/— I  Cotton  Wheel— 2/ 

Cards  17/4 3'  —  14  —  4 

2  Water  Pails — &  2  Piggon — 7/ •  o  —  7  —  o 

1  Tract  of  land — 210  acres — 42  —  o  —  o 

2  Razor  Hones  &  Strap o  —  io  —  o 

i 

Given  under  our  hands  and  seals  this  6  day  of  August,.  1792 — 

STEPHEN  WILLIS 
JOHN  READ  LONG 
JAMES  NASH 
South  Carolina, 

Stephen  Willis,  James  Nash  and  John  Read  Long  appeared 
before  me  and  being  duly  sworn  to  appraise  the  estate  Real  and 


402    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

personal,  of  Luke  Hanks,  deceased,  that  shall  be  shown  them 
by  Ann  Hanks,  executrix,  and  John  Haynie,  executor. 
Sworn  to  this  6th  day  of  September,  1792. 

ELIJAH  BROWNE,  P-J 

II.   Probation  of  Will,  Luke  Hanks,  deceased. 

STATE  OF  CAROLINA,  ) 

ABBEVILLE  COUNTY,  to  wit :  j 

In  open  Court  this  seventh  day  of  October  One  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  eighty  nine.  Personally  came  Blake  Mauldin, 
one  of  the  witnesses  to  the  above  will,  and  made  oath  that  he 
saw  Luke  Hanks,  deceased,  sign,  seal,  publish,  pronounce  and 
declare  the  same  to  be  his  last  will  and  testament,  and  that  he 
was  then  of  sound  and  perfect  mind,  memory  and  understanding 
to  the  best  of  Deponents  knowledge  and  belief  and  that  John 
Reaves  together  with  this  deponent  did  subscribe  their  names 
thereto  as  witnesses,  in  the  present  of  the  testator  and  at  his 
request,  and  in  the  presence  of  each  other — Certified  by  order 
of  Court  the  day  and  date  above  written. 

JOHN  BROWN,  C.C. 

Ann  Hanks,  the  executrix,  and  John  Hainey,  the  executor, 
named  in  the  above  will  took  the  oath  of  executors  of  said  will 
in  open  Court  of  Abbeville  County  the  seventh  of  October,  1789 

(Seal  of  Probate  Court.) 

III.  Extract  from  Letter,  J.  F.  Miller,  Probate  Judge 
December  30,  1910. 

I  find  among  the  papers  pertaining  to  the  said  estate  the 
following  papers ;  to  wit ;  the  will  of  testator,  the  Appraise  War 
rant,  the  Appraise  Bill. 

The  testator  does  not  give  the  name  of  his  children. 

The  personal  property  was  appraised  at  100  pounds — $500. 
Real  Estate — 210  acres — 42  pounds — $210.  Date  of  appraise 
ments  August  6,  1792.  J.  F.  MILLER. 

Note. — It  is  important  to  notice  that  Judge  Miller  says,  and 
these  documents  show,  that  Luke  Hanks  does  not  name  his 
children.— W.  E.  B. 

3.    THE  WILL  OF  JOSEPH    HANKS 

In  the  name  of  God  Amen.  I  Joseph  Hanks  of  Nelson 
County,  State  of  Kentucky,  being  of  sound  mind  and  memory, 
but  weak  in  body,  and  calling  to  mind  the  frailty  ot  all  human 


HANKS  MEMORANDA  403 

nature,  do  make  and  devise  this  my  last  will  and  testament  in 
the  manner  and  form  following,  to  wit: 

Item.    I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  son  Thomas  one  sorrel  horse 

called  "  Major  ". 
Item.    I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  son  Joshua  one  gray  mare 

called  "  Bonny  " 
Item.    I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  son  William  one  gray  horse 

called  "  Gilbert ". 
Item.    I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  son  Charles  one  roan  horse 

called  "  Dove  ". 

Item.    I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  son  Joseph  one  sorrel  horse 
called  "  Bald."    Also  the  land  whereon  I  now  live  con 
taining  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres. 
Item.    I   give  and  bequeath  unto  my   daughter  Elizabeth   one 

heifer  yearling  called  "  Gentle." 
Item.    I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  daughter  Polly  one  heifer 

yearling  called  "  Lady." 
Item.    I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  daughter  Nancy  one  heifer 

yearling  called  "  Piedy  ". 

Item.    I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  wife  Nancy  all  and  singular 
my  whole  estate  during  her  life.     Afterwards  to  be 
equally  divided  between  all  my  children. 
It  is  also  my  will  and  desire  that  the  whole  of  the  property 
above  bequeathed  should  be  the  property  of  my  wife  during 
her  life. 

And  lastly  I  constitute  ordain  and  appoint  my  wife  Nancy 
as  Executrix  of  and  Executrix  to  this  my  last  will  and  testament. 
Signed,  sealed  and  delivered  in  presence  of  us  this  eighth  day 
of  January,  One  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety  three. 

his 

JOSEPH    X    HANKS  (seal) 
ISSAC  LANSDALE  mark 

JOHN  DAVIS 
PETER  ATHERTON. 

At  a  court  begun  and  held  for  Nelson  County  on  Tuesday 
the  fourteenth  day  of  May,  1793.  This  last  will  and  testament  of 
Joseph  Hanks  dec'd  was  produced  in  court  and  sworn  to  by 
William  Hanks,  one  of  the  executors  therein  named  and  was 
proved  by  the  oaths  of  Isaac  Lansdale  and  John  Davis,  sub 
scribing  witnesses  thereto,  and  ordered  to  be  recorded. 

Attest.    BEN  GRAYSON,  Clerk. 
A  Copy 

Attest.     MORGAN  GILKEY,  Clerk 

Nelson  County  Court,  November  10,  1913. 


404    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 


4.     NOTES  ON  THE  HANKS  FAMILY 

From  Letters  of  Mrs.  J.  T.  Manon  (Mary  Ellen  Hanks, 
daughter  of  John  Hanks),  with  some  assistance  from  her  cousin 
Mrs.  M.  E.  Jordan,  in  letters  to  D.  J.  Knotts,  February  and 
March,  1913,  and  July  n  and  October  27,  1913. 


SUMMARY  OF  INFORMATION. 

I  am  a  daughter  of  John  Hanks,  who  split  rails  with  Abraham 
Lincoln  and  carried  the  rails  into  the  Republican  Convention  in 
1860. 

I  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1844,  married  Dec.  31,  1868,  to  J.  T. 
Manon,  and  removed  to  Humbolt  County,  California,  November 

1875. 

My  father's  father  lived  near  the  Falls  of  Rough  Creek, 
Kentucky.  His  name  was  William  Hanks. 

My  father,  John  Hanks,  was  born  near  the  Falls  of  Rough, 
Ky.,  February  9,  1802;  married  Susan  Malindy  Wilson.  He 
moved  to  Illinois  in  1826,  and  died  July  I,  1889,  near  Decatur. 

My  mother,  Susan  Malindy  Hanks,  was  born  Feb.  14,  1804, 
and  died  March  n,  1865,  m  Macon  County,  Illinois. 

John  and  Susan  Hanks  were  parents  of  the  following  children : 
William,  married 
Louis 
Jane 
Phelix 

Emily  Grayson 
Mary  Ellen 
Levi 

The  children  of  William  (?)  and  Hanks  were: 

Sons :  Charles  married  a  Miss  Morehead 

John  (my  father)  married  Susan  Malindy  Wilson 
James 

William  married  Polly  Young 
Joseph  married  Sarah  Freeman 
Jackson 

Daughters :  Nancy  married  a  Mr.  Miller 
Celia  married  a  Mr.  Dunham 
Lucy  or  Lucinda  married  a  Mr.  Douglas 
Elizabeth  or  Betsy  married  a  Mr.  Ray  and 

afterward  a  Mr.  Dillen. 

I  remember  hearing  Father  speak  of  the  Sparrows  and  Ship- 
leys,  but  know  nothing  definite  about  them. 


HANKS  MEMORANDA  405 

My  grandfather  was  a  shoemaker  and  a  farmer.  He  died 
in  Sangamon  Co.,  111. 

I  knew  Dennis  Hanks  very  well.  He  was  a  shoemaker,  and 
a  first  (?)  cousin  of  my  father.  I  think  his  mother  was  a  sister 
of  Lincoln's  mother. 

I  know  nothing  definite  about  the  Friend  family. 

Dennis  was  one  of  those  stray  boys  who  often  come  into 
the  world  with  no  known  father.  He  took  the  name  of  Hanks 
from  his  mother.  His  mother  was  a  cousin  of  John  Hanks. 

John  Hanks  was  a  Universalist  until  a  few  years  before  his 
death  when  he  joined  the  Disciples.  Some  of  my  brothers  be 
longed  to  the  Baptist  Church;  one  sister  to  the  Congregational; 
one  to  the  United  Brethren.  I  belong  to  the  Methodists. 

I  know  nothing  about  our  distant  relatives. 

My  uncles  were  rather  above  the  medium  height;  so  was 
my  father,  who  weighed  about  200  pounds. 

My  cousin,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Jordan,  is  a  daughter  of  my  father's 
sister  Lucy  or  Lucinda.  Her  maiden  name  was  Douglas. 


Mr.  Knotts  has  made  a  pencil  note  on  Mrs.  Manon's  letter 
with  reference  to  her  grandfather's  name.  At  first  she  was  not 
sure  if  it  was  Joseph  or  Thomas.  Later,  after  conferring  with 
Mrs.  Jordan,  they  agreed  that  it  was  William.  Mr.  Knotts  says 
that  records  show  that  William's  wife  was  Betty,  and  the  His 
torical  Society  says  it  was  Elizabeth  Hall. 

Mrs.  Manon's  statement  that  her  father  was  first  cousin  to 
Dennis  Hanks  appears  to  be  contradicted  by  the  statement  that 
his  mother  was  a  cousin  of  John  Hanks.  John  and  Dennis  were 
not  first  cousins ;  Mrs.  Manon  is  mistaken  about  this,  and  appears 
to  be  correct  in  saying  that  Nancy,  the  mother  of  Dennis,  was 
John's  first  cousin.  However,  the  question  is  difficult,  and  I 
have  not  been  able,  with  the  information  now  available,  to  reach 
a  conclusion  in  these  matters.  I  give  these  memoranda  for  what 
ever  they  are  worth. 

The  article  in  The  Atlantic  Monthly  for  February,  1920,  by 
Mr.  Arthur  E.  Morgan,  a  prominent  civil  engineer  of  Dayton, 
Ohio,  told  a  very  interesting  story  of  Mr.  Morgan's  travels  in 
the  Ozarks  and  of  his  meeting  with  certain  representatives  of 
the  Hanks  family ;  and  also  of  his  securing  additional  information 
through  a  friend,  who,  as  I  now  learn  from  Mr.  Morgan,  was 
then  Miss  Lucy  Griscom,  and  is  now  Mrs.  Arthur  E.  Morgan, 
on  a  journey  to  Oregon,  where  she  met  other  representatives 


406    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

of  the  Hanks  family.     The  following  is  my  own  summary  of 
the  genealogical  part  of  Mr.  Morgan's  article : 

THE    HANKS    FAMILY. 

As  disclosed  by  Mr.  Arthur  E.  Morgan  in  Atlantic  for 
February,  1920. 

SARAH,  or  POLLY  HANKS,  sister  of  Lincoln's  mother, 
never  married,  but  had  six  children,  inter  alia,  SOPHIE,  who 
died  in  November,  1895.  Her  three  children  were  living  in  differ 
ent  parts  of  the  Ozarks  in  1909. 

These  three  children  of  SOPHIE  HANKS  were  children  of 
at  least  two  different  fathers,  one  of  whom  was  named  Lynch. 
The  other's  name  is  not  given.  It  is  not  stated  whether  she  was 
married  to  either  or  both  of  these  men. 

Of  only  one  of  SOPHIE  HANKS'  children  is  much  detail 
given,  and  his  surname  is  not  stated. 

These  three  children  are : 

1.  JOHN  LYNCH,  who  lived  east  of  Iron  Mountain,  Mo. 
Very  old,  memory  failing.     He  was  a  voter  in  1861,  and  voted 
against  Lincoln,  and  is  thus  older  than  the  son  who  was  Mr. 
Morgan's  chief  source  of  information. 

2.  Mrs.  NANCY  DAVIDSON,  maiden  name  not  given,  liv 
ing  in  1909  with  her  husband  at  Limestone  Valley,  Ark. 

3.  "THE   DOCTOR"   born   in    Dubois    County,    Indiana, 
December  26,  1843;  his  name  withheld.     In  spring  of  1847  ^e 
moved  from  Indiana  to  St.  Francis  County,  Mo.    Taught  school, 
served  in  Civil  War,  and  "  practiced  physic "  living  in  Jasper, 
Ark.,  1874-1909  since  when  he  has  lived  in  Harrison,  Ark.,  hav 
ing  given  up  his  practice.     The  Doctor  is  Mr.  Morgan's  chief 
source  of  information  concerning  Lincoln's  school  days  in  Indi 
ana,  and  his  information  is  in  essential  accord  with  such  as  we 
already  have,  and  confirms  that  of  Dennis  Hanks,  our  best  wit 
ness  on  the  youth  of  Lincoln,  though  he  is  none  too  good.    The 
Doctor's  information  is  through  his  mother,  Sophie  Hanks. 

The.  Doctor  said  his  grandmother,  Sarah  or  Polly  Hanks,  and 
Nancy  Hanks,  Lincoln's  mother,  were  half-sisters,  and  also 
cousins.  This  means  that  one  man,  President  Lincoln's  grand 
father,  had  relations  with  the  two  Hanks  sisters,  Polly  and 
Nancy.  If  so  much  as  that  was  known  in  the  Hanks  family, 
more  must  have  been  known.  What  was  the  name  of  this  man? 

The  article  interested  me  much,  and  raised  more  questions 
than  it  answered. 

Mr.  Morgan  has  generously  given  me  all  the  information 
which  he  has  been  able  to  secure.  I  regret  that  it  does  not 


HANKS  MEMORANDA  407 

answer  the  more  important  of  my  questions.  He  gives  the 
name  of  "  The  Doctor "  as  James  Legrand,  and  says  that  on 
the  question  of  the  father  of  Nancy  Hanks  he  could  obtain  no 
additional  information: 

Referring  to  the  Doctor's  remark  that  Nancy  Hanks,  and 
Sarah,  or  Polly,  were  half-sisters,  also  cousins,  I  have  no  in 
formation  beyond  that  contained  in  the  Atlantic  article  and  the 
notes  inclosed.  In  many  cases  interesting  facts  were  lost.  Some 
times  the  Doctor  or  his  wife  were  willing  to  fill  in  the  gaps,  but 
when  I  questioned  them  closely,  I  found  they  were  uncertain. 
I  last  heard  from  the  Doctor  indirectly  in  January,  1920,  at 
which  time  he  was  very  sick  with  pneumonia.  Letters  to  his 
wife  have  not  been  answered.  I  am  at  present  making  an  effort 
to  get  in  touch  with  the  family,  and  hope  to  be  able  to  supply 
this  information  soon. 

The  Doctor  had  18  half-sisters  and  brothers,  and  one  whole 
sister,  nineteen  in  all. 

The  information  obtained  by  Miss  Griscom,  now  Mrs.  Mor 
gan,  is  from  John  T.  Hanks,  son  of  Dennis  Hanks,  and  grandson 
of  Mrs.  Sarah  Bush  Lincoln.  He  said  to  her: 

"  Abe  Lincoln's  step-mother  was  my  grandmother,"  which 
was  true.  John  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1828,  and  was  one  of 
the  sixteen  people  who  went  to  Illinois  in  1830.  He  was  sure 
that  Abraham  Lincoln's  mother  died,  not  in  Indiana,  but  in 
Kentucky.  He  was  sure  the  poverty  of  Abe  in  his  boyhood 
had  been  exaggerated;  Abe  did  not  need  to  read  by  the  light 
of  pine-knots,  since  there  were  candles  abundant  from  the  fam 
ily's  own  hogs.1 

In  the  same  place  in  Oregon  lived  James  Lewis  Hanks,  a 
son  of  John  Hanks.  He  and  John  T.  were  rivals  in  their  stories 
about  their  intimacy  with  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Miss  Griscom  compiled  in  a  family  tree  their  joint  knowledge 
of  their  lineage.  Mr.  Morgan  calls  attention  to  manifest  errors 
in  it,  and  they  lie  plain  on  the  face  of  it.  It  is  very  well  worth 
reproducing  here,  however,  for  it  shows  that  in  the  memory 
of  these  two  old  men,  one  the  son  of  John  Hanks  and  the  other 
the  son  of  Dennis,  Nancy  Hanks  was  legitimate. 

The  family,  as  these  two  men  gave  the  data  to  Miss  Griscom, 

*Did  people  make  candles  from  the  lard  of  hogs?  The  author  does 
not  remember  candles  of  that  character. 


408    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

was  descended  from  Joseph  and  Nancy  Hanks.    They  gave  the 
names  of  five  children  of  this  couple : 

1.  William  Hanks,  father  of  John  Hanks,  who  split  rails 
with  Lincoln;  who  had,  at  the  time  of  this  interview,  two  living 
children,  James  Lewis  Hanks,  of  Canyonville,  Oregon,  and  Mrs. 
Mary  Ellen  Hanon,  of  Eureka,  California. 

2.  Nancy  Hanks,  who  married  Thomas  Lincoln  and  became 
the  mother  of  Abraham. 

3.  Sarah  Hanks,  who  married  M.  M.  Broun,  and  who  had 
a  living  daughter,  Mrs.  Billy  Carrol,  of  Portland,  Oregon. 

4.  Lucy  Hanks,  mother  of  Dennis.     Dennis  married  Sarah 
Johnston,  daughter  of  the  step-mother  of  President  Lincoln ;  and 
had   four  living  children  when  this  interview  was  had, — Mrs. 
Harriet  Chapman,  of  Charleston,  Illinois ;  Mrs.  Amanda  Porman, 
of  Matoon,  Illinois ;  John  T.  Hanks,  of  Day's  Creek,  Oregon,  who 
had  eleven  children,  all  scattered;  and  Theophilus  Hanks,  of 
Denver,  Colorado. 

5.  "  Mrs.  Sparrow!'    John  T.  Hanks  said  that  Mr.  Sparrow 
brought  Dennis  up  as  his  own  son,  and  left  him  his  property; 
which  is  doubtless  correct. 

This  is  all  the  information  which  Mr.  Morgan  could  procure 
for  me  up  to  July  2,  1920.  It  is  not  all  reliable,  but  it  is  valuable 
to  any  one  who  is  to  work  on  the  Hanks  family,  and  is  given 
here,  with  thanks  to  Mr.  Morgan,  for  whatever  it  may  be  worth. 

As  this  book  goes  to  press,  I  have  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Legrand, 
wife  of  "  The  Doctor."  He  is  seriously  ill,  probably  with  tuber 
culosis,  and  not  expected  to  recover.  Mr.  Morgan  did  well  to 
obtain  the  information  when  he  did.  Mrs.  Legrand  makes  one 
correction.  "  My  husband  is  not  first  cousin,  but  second  cousin, 
of  Abe  Lincoln.  Abe  and  the  Doctor's  mother  were  not  sisters, 
but  first  cousins." 


APPENDIX  XI 
WAS  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  A  GERMAN? 

In  1901  a  paper  was  read  before  the  Fifteenth  Annual  Meet 
ing  of  the  Society  of  Germans  in  Maryland,  by  Louis  Paul  Hen- 
nighausen,  in  which  he  endeavored  to  prove  that  Abraham  Lin 
coln  was  of  German  descent.  The  argument  was  based  largely  on 
the  fact  that  the  name  Lincoln  is  found  in  several  documents 
spelled  "  Linkhorn,"  which,  the  writer  claimed,  is  a  German 
name.  He  held,  with  considerable  skill  of  argument,  that  this 
name  had  been  Anglicized  into  Lincoln  and  a  false  pedigree 
manufactured  to  fit  the  change.  The  ancestors  of  the  President, 
as  he  set  forth,  came  from  Pennsylvania  into  Virginia;  and  he 
maintained  that  they  were  originally  Pennsylvania  Germans. 

This  paper  was  published  in  the  proceedings  of  the  German 
Society  and  it  attracted  wide  attention.  The  Germans  claim 
Shakespeare;  why  not  Lincoln? 

Ingenious  as  was  the  argument  of  Herr  Hennighausen,  it 
was  utterly  fallacious.  The  name  Lincoln  is  a  good,  old  English 
name,  and  it  has  been  traced  back,  generation  by  generation, 
through  Kentucky,  Virginia,  Pennsylvania,  and  New  Jersey,  to 
Massachusetts  and  thence  to  England,  and  President  Lincoln's 
right  to  use  it  in  its  original  spelling  is  incontestable. 

Moreover,  no  German  name  Linkhorn  has  been  found  in 
Pennsylvania,  nor  has  any  family  connection  been  traced  whereby 
a  German  family  of  any  like  name  could  have  quartered  arms 
with  the  family  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

The  Hennighausen  argument  is  fully  answered  in  a  book 
entitled  Abraham  Lincoln:  An  American  Migration,  published, 
1909,  by  William  J.  Campbell,  of  Philadelphia.  The  author  is 
Marion  Dexter  Learned,  Professor  of  the  Germanic  Languages 
and  Literature  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 

The  typical  American  is  often  represented  as  necessarily 
of  mixed  nationality ;  Abraham  Lincoln's  claim  to  be  fairly  repre 
sentative  of  the  life  of  his  nation  cannot  be  based  upon  any 
such  admixture.  While  we  are  not  able  to  trace  with  complete 

409 


410    PATERNITY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

certainty  the  ancestral  line  of  Nancy  Hanks,  we  have  no  reason 
to  believe  that  she  was  on  either  side  of  other  than  Virginia  blood. 
The  Hanks  line  is  Anglo-Saxon,  unmixed  so  far  as  we  know, 
through  its  generations  in  the  colonies,  with  families  other  than 
those  of  English  descent.  Thomas  Lincoln  was  on  both  sides,  of 
pure  Anglo-Saxon  blood.  Both  families  came  originally  from 
New  England  through  Virginia  into  the  western  country.  In 
coming  down  through  Pennsylvania  either  family  might  have 
intermarried  with  the  Pennsylvania  Germans,  but  so  far  as  we 
know  neither  family  did.  The  hardy  Scotch-Irish  stock  which 
contributed  so  worthily  to  the  conquest  of  the  wilderness  and  to 
the  population  of  the  hill  country  of  Kentucky,  yielded  so  far  as 
we  are  informed  no  single  drop  of  its  warm  red  blood  to  the  life 
of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Few  American  families  have  been  traced 
with  greater  care  than  his,  and  so  far  as  we  know  he  was  in  every 
line  of  his  ancestry  American  of  pure  Anglo-Saxon  descent. 


INDEX 


"Andrew,"  alleged  foster  son  of 
Chief- Justice  Marshall,  107-112, 
207-213. 

Antietam,  Lincoln's  visit  to  battle 
field,  22-3. 

Arthur,  John  P.,  114,  123,  132,  143, 

145,  204,  215. 

Athertpnville  distillery,  201. 
Atlantic  Monthly,  quoted,  275,  406 

seq. 

Barrett,  Joseph  H.,  271. 

Bartlett,  D.  W.,  312. 

Bartlett,  Truman  H.,  xi. 

Battle,  Walker,  83. 

Beck,  H.  J.,  90. 

Berea  College  Library,  xi. 

Berry,  Richard,  218,  279,  327,  330. 

Beveridge,  Albert  J.,  208-9. 

Binns,     Life  of  Lincoln,"  33. 

Bixby,  W.  1C,  291. 

Black,  Chauncey  F.,  41,  42,  46,  335, 

Bonham,  Gen.  M.  L.,  145. 
Booker,  W.  F.,  35,  201,  248,  329  seq. 
Boone,  Daniel,  25. 
Boyd,  Lucinda  J.,  107-112,  207-213. 
Bristow,  B.  H.,  329  seq. 
Brown,  Dr.  W.  C,  133. 
Browne,  R.  J.,  248,  329  seq. 
Brownfield,  David  T.,  69,  381. 
Brownfield,  George,  20,  69-71,  189- 

191,  259. 

Brownfield,  John,  379. 
Buchanan,  Pres.  James,  239  seq. 
Buckley,  Rev.  J.  M.,  325. 
Burt,  Gen.  A.,  127,  135,  224. 
Burton,  John  E.,  98-100,  156. 
Byrd,  Mrs.  Anna  L.,  122. 

Calhoun,  John  C.,  18,  24,  103,  113- 

146,  214-225. 
Camp-meeting,  60,  162-5. 

Cathey,  James  H.,  79  seq.,  124,  202- 
206,  214. 

Chapman,  "  Latest  Light  on  Lin 
coln,"  33. 

Charlotte,  "Observer"  74,  203. 

Charnwood,  "Life  of  Lincoln,"  33. 


Christie,  P.  B.,  138. 
Clay,  Henry,  236^. 
Cleveland,  H.  W.,  337. 
Coleman,   W.   M.,   55  seq. 
Collier,  Robert  J.,  348,  389. 
Collier's  Weekly,  389. 
Collins,  History  of  Kentucky,  161. 
Collins,  J.  A.,  88. 
Conley,  W.  H.,  84 
Courier- Journal,  Louisville,  30. 
Creal,  Chas.  F.,  165,  347. 
Creal,  Hon.  Richard  W.,  165,  171-5, 
377- 

Daviess,  Maria  T.,  275. 

Davis,  David,  328-335. 

Davis,  Jefferson,  73,  117,  135,  136, 

138,  236. 

Davis,  Valentine,  146. 
Davidson,   Colonel   A.   T.,   77,   78, 

124,  203. 

Dennett,  A.  W.,  173,  348. 
Dills,  Philip,  82. 
Dills,  William,  87. 
Dunlop,  J.  K.,  42. 

Elkin,    Rev.    David,    45,    112,    137, 

299. 

Enlaw,  or  Enlaws,  Isom,  176  seq. 
Enloe,  Abraham,  19,  24,  74  seq.,  117, 

203-206. 

Enloe,  Wesley,  74  seq.,  92. 
Enloe,  W.  A.,  91. 
Enlow,  Abraham,  19,  24,  46,  57,  65- 

68,  157-188,  309,  314,  317,  320-321. 
Enlow,  Robert,  182,  378. 
Everett,  Capt.  Ep.,  85. 

Fell,  Jesse  W.,  17,  27,  53,  290,  319- 

Fish,  Daniel,  xi,  320. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  232. 

Friend,  Jesse,  44. 

Friend,  John  C,  382. 

Fremont,  John  C,  312. 

Fuller,  Thomas,  244. 

Geiger,  G.  H.,  xi,  120,  221. 
Geoghegan,  Denton,  251  seq. 
Goodwin,  Rev.  Thomas,  271. 


411 


412 


INDEX 


Graham,  Christopher  C,  25,  30,  31, 

269,  336  seq. 
Grant,  U.  S.,  334- 
Griffin,  A.  P.  C,  xi,  320 
Grigsby,  Aaron,   127,  139,  251,  259, 

272,  355 

Grundy,  Felix,  247,  336. 
Gunther,  C.  R,  xi. 

Hall,  Levi,  44 

Handley,  L.  B,  70,  165. 

Hanie,  John,  and  his  family,  119. 

Hanks,  Betsy,  wife  of  Thomas 
Sparrow,  44,  218,  280. 

Hanks,  Dennis  F.,  on  Thomas  Lin 
coln's  treatment  of  Abraham,  36, 
43;  his  statements  concerning 
Abraham  and  Thomas  Lincoln, 
42,  286,  302;  his  parentage,  44, 
141,  299,  405;  his  veracity  arid 
accuracy,  46,  51-54,  301,  306-7,  407. 

Hanks  family,  their  social  status, 
36,  60,  93;  their  tangled  geneal 
ogy,  115,  uSseq.,  216,  219,  276, 
277,  280,  401  seq. 

Hanks  girls,  their  behavior,  reputa 
tion  and  marriages,  44,  60,  162-5, 

299- 
Hanks,  John,  45,  140,  141,  287,  301, 

302,  405. 
Hanks,  Joseph,  217,  2^S  seq.;  memo 

randa  of  family,  401  seq. 
Hanks,  Lucy,  mother  of  Nancy,  and 

wife  of  Henry  Sparrow,  39,  44, 

in,  115,  207,  280. 
Hanks,   Luke  and  Ann,  and   their 

descendants,  115,  145,  215-225. 
Hanks,  Mary  Ellen  (Manon),  115, 


131,  139,  140,  142,  144, 
Hanks,  Nancy,  mother  of  Dennis, 

and  wife  of  Levi  Hall,  44,  280. 
Hanks,  Nancy,  confusing  frequency 

of  the  name,  216,  217,  218,  226; 

the  first  Nancy  Hanks,  286. 
Hanks,  Polly,  wife  of  Jesse  Friend, 

44,  280. 

Hanks,  Sophie,  275,  407. 
Hardesty,  William,  245,  372. 
Hardin,   Martin   D.,   20,   24,    105-6, 

200-202,  334. 
Harris,  Benjamin,  119. 
Hay,  Milton,  360. 
Haycraft,  Samuel  Jr.,  3,5,  160,  161, 

313,  319,  350,  358. 
Haycraft,  Samuel,  Sr.,  188,  354. 
Head,  Rev.  E.  B.,  325. 
Head,  Rev.  Jesse,  25,  28,  73,   115, 


116,  142,  196,  197,  202,  226,  246- 
248,  286,  326,  336  seq. 

Helm,  Ben  Hardin,  161 ;  his  widow, 
161,  176. 

Helm,  J.  B.,  60,  98,  161,  198. 

Henry,  Patrick,  202. 

Herndon,  Archer  G.,  303. 

Herndon,  William  H.,  quoted,  20, 
95;  his  theory  of  Lincoln's  pa 
ternity,  25,  37;  knew  the  date  of 
marriage  of  Lincoln's  parents, 
27;  history  of  Lincoln's  secret, 
39;  the  alleged  suppression  of  his 
first  edition,  37,  96,  100,  117,  206, 
228;  his  visit  to  Kentucky,  160; 
story  of  camp-meeting,  161 ;  de 
scription  of  Nancy  Hanks,  273; 
his^  final  opinion  of  Lincoln's 
legitimacy,  303-311;  mayor  of 
Springfield,  303 ;  contradictions 
of  his  life,  304;  his  daughter's 
testimony,  365 ;  his  feeling  toward 
Lincoln,  360  seq. ;  Reed  s  sharp 
criticism,  367 'seq.;  his  death,  304. 

History,  what  is  it?,  149^5. 

Hitchcock,  Mrs.  Caroline  Hanks, 
19,  31,  274,  277,  279,  347,  383. 

Holbert,  George,  xi,  252,  262. 

Holland,  J.  G.,  Life  of  Lincoln,  192. 

Homer,  21. 

Hornback,  Nancy,  no,   195-7,  207. 

Illinois  College,  303. 

Ingersoll,  R.  G.,  102. 

Inlow,  Abraham,  20,  72-3,  107-112. 

Irwin,  J.  L.,  349,  35O,  359- 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  232. 
Jenkins,  J.  D.,  127. 
Johnson,   Andrew,  29,  242. 
Johnston,  John  D.,  267,  200,  292-4, 

302. 
Jones,  Jenkin  Lloyd,  269,  272,  295, 

389  seq. 

Jones,  Richard  Lloyd,  385^4.,  389. 
Journal,  Boston,  quoted,  328. 

Kieth,  W.  D.,  378. 

Knotts,  D.  J.,  113-146,  214-225. 

Lamon,  Ward  Hill,  sang  songs  for 
Lincoln,  23;  wished  to  deny  a 
slanderous  story,  23;  his  theory 
of  Lincoln's  paternity,  25,  28,  37, 
40,  41-48,  95;  alleged  attempt  to 
suppress  his  book,  37,  96,  100, 
206,  228;  admitted  marriage  of 


INDEX 


413 


Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln,  160; 
his  book  first  to  suggest  Lincoln's 
illegitimacy,  320;  gave  rise  to  the 
Hardin  story,  200;  occasioned  the 
discovery  of  the  marriage  return, 
201 ;  his  description  of  Nancy 
Hanks,  274;  his  possible  error  as 
to  Joseph  Hanks,  279;  his  book 
quoted,  287,  288,  290,  291,  SZQseq., 

LaRue,  Rev.  A.  W.,  iSoseq. 

LaRue,  John,  176  seq. 

Latimer,  Hon.  A.  C,  132. 

Lea  and  Hutchinson,  cited,  19,  257, 
261,  277,  345- 

Lee,  Robert  E.,  103,  242. 

Legrand,   Dr.   James,   276,   406^5. 

Lewis,  J.  B.,  122. 

Libel,  law  of,  protects  the  reputa 
tion  of  the  dead  as  well  as  living, 

154- 

Library  of  Congress,  xi,  320. 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  sixteenth  presi 
dent  of  the  U.  S.,  meagerness  of 
biographical  information  in  1860, 
17,  159;  campaign  of  1864,  17, 
159;  knew  of  rumors  concerning 
his  birth,  22,  39-40;  felt  the  pri 
vations  of  youth,  38;  did  not 
know  in  what  county  the  mar 
riage  of  his  parents  was  recorded, 
23,  40;  his  birth,  fact  and  date, 
41,  165,  225,  244 seq.;  where  be 
gotten,  166,  225 ;  did  he  honor  his 
father  and  mother?,  287 seq.;  the 
place  of  his  birth,  384  seq.;  his 
lineage  not  German  but  Anglo- 
Saxon,  409-410. 

Lincoln  family  in  America,  257. 

Lincoln  family  record,  115. 

Lincoln,    Isaac,    117,    126,   249  seq.; 

259,  395- 

Lincoln,  Mary  Todd,  300. 

Lincoln,  Mary,  wife  of  Isaac,  395. 

Lincoln,  Nancy  Hanks,  mother  of 
the  President,  her  marriage  to 
Thomas  Lincoln,  25,  226,  246,  279, 
325,  326,  330 seq.;  discovery  of 
the  marriage  return,  328  seq.;  her 
appearance,  45,  58, 273  seq.;  Hern- 
don's  tract  concerning  her,  50-54; 
her  home  in  Elizabethtown,  285; 
her  home  in  the  "  plum-orchard," 
70;  her  home  near  Hodgenville, 
70;  date  of  her  birth  variously 
given,  116;  signed  her  name  with 
cross,  127 ;  was  she  the  heiress  of 


the  pied  heifer?,  141,  220,  226,  278, 
279,  280 ;  left  no  personal  memory 
of  herself  in  Elizabethtown,  160; 
no  rumor  affecting  her  chastity 
during  her  life  in  LaRue  or 
Hardin  Counties,  161,  167,  170, 
174,  188,  190;  not  a  cousin  of 
Thomas  Lincoln,  267 ;  her  ances 
try,  218-221,  276,  280,  407;  what 
we  know  about  her,  272  seq.; 
Herndon's  description,  273 ; 
Lamon's  description,  274;  Mrs. 
Hitchcock's  description,  274 ;  ten 
dency  to  change  her  to  a  blonde, 
275;  never  lived  in  a  home  of  her 
own,  285;  her  religion,  286;  her 
funeral,  298 ;  her  grave,  295. 

Lincoln,  Sarah  Bush,  36,  59,  136, 
137,  259,  289,  297,  298,  313,  314. 

Lincoln,  Sarah,  sister  of  Abraham 
and  wife  of  Aaron  Grigsby,  28, 
166,  187,  106,  197,  251,  259,  271, 
314,  333,  338. 

Lincoln,  spelling  of  the  name,  56, 
266. 

Lincoln,  Thomas,  father  of  the 
President;  birth,  258;  marriage  to 
Nancy  Hanks,  18,  25,  27,  251,  259, 
325,  326,  336^9.;  his  character 
and  social  standing,  25,  173,  271 ; 
resemblances  and  contrasts  to 
Abraham,  36,  42,  287;  mutual  re 
lations  with  Abraham,  36,  41,  287; 
his  alleged  fight  with  Enlow,  167, 
170;  his  whereabouts  from  1796 
to  1809,  249  seq.;  known  facts 
concerning  him,  257  seq.;  personal 
appearance,  265 ;  habits  and  re 
ligion,  265-6,  271 ;  where  did  he 
obtain  money  in  1803?,  266;  was 
he  defrauded  by  his  brothers?, 
266;  not  a  cousin  of  Nancy 
Hanks,  267;  not  an  industrious 
man,  270;  did  Abraham  honor 
him?,  287 seq.,  296;  as  a  land 
holder,  345^-;  his  grave,  43. 

Logan,  Gen.  Benjamin,  200. 

Manon,    Mary    Ellen,    see    Hanks, 

Mary  Ellen. 
Marshall,  Chief-Justice  John,  18,  20, 

107-112,  207-213. 
Marshall,     sons     of     Chief-Justice 

John,  208  seq. 
Martel,  Charles,  187. 
Massachusetts    Historical    Society, 

xi. 


414 


INDEX 


Masters,  H.  W.,  309,  362. 
Mather,  O.  M.,  xi,  165,  177. 
McClellan,  Gen.  G.  B.,  22,  23. 
McCormick,  Medill,  320. 
McDougal,  Jack,  172. 
McLellan,  Hugh,  xi. 
Meserve,  F.  H.,  xi,  113. 
Miller,  W.  A.,  74. 
Morgan,  Arthur  E.,  275,  405. 
Morgan,  William,  349. 
Morse,  John  T.,  Jr,  32. 
Morse,  Prof.  S.  F.  B.,  17. 
Murray,  G.  W.,  310,  363. 

New  England  Historic  Genealogi 
cal  Society,  234,  277,  328. 

New  England  Historical  and 
Genealogical  Record,  quoted,  271. 

Newton,  Joseph  Fort,  42,  49,  304. 

Nicolay,  John  G.,  and  Hay,  John, 
secretaries  and  biographers  of 
Lincoln,  32,  219,  271,  293,  330. 

Oldroyd,  O.  H.,  xi. 

Orr,  James  L.,  120,  132,  134,  225. 

Paxton,  Mrs.  M.,  208,  209,  212. 
Pendleton,  Geo.  H.,  23. 
Peters,  B.  J.,  72-3 
"  Plum-orchard,"  home  of  Thomas 
Lincoln   and   Nancy  Lincoln,   70. 
Polin,  Joseph,  260,  375. 
Proof,  burden  of, 


Rathbone,  Thomas  W.,  176. 

Reed,  James  A.,  suppressed  pages 

from  his  lecture,  367  seq. 
Rogers,  Rev.  Samuel,  109. 
Rutledge,  Ann,  300. 

Scripps,  John  Locke,  17,  35,  38,  45, 
S3,  59,  60,  313. 


Seward,  W.  H.,  312. 

Shipley  family,  217,  258  seq.,  404.  . 

Slater,  or   Stator,  Dr.  John   Tom, 

255,  351^4. 
Sparrow  family,  18,  44,  52  seq.,  280, 

404. 

Stewart,  Judd,  320. 
Stover,  D.  L.,  127. 
Stover,  William,  306. 
Studebaker,  P.  H.,  295. 
Swett,  Leonard,  328,  335. 

Tarbell,  Ida  M.,  19,  24-5,  32,   105, 

282,  297,  328. 

Teillard,  Dorothy  Lamon,  47. 
Terrell,  J.  W.,  85. 
Thompson,  James,  248. 
Thompson,  Nancy  Enloe,  203. 
Thompson,  R.  M.,  201,  374. 
Torrie,  Hiram  D.,  301. 
Transylvania  University  Library,  xi. 
Tribune,  New  York,  quoted,  330. 
Tuttle,  J.  H.,  xi. 

Van  Diver,  Peter,  146. 
Vawter,  Mrs.  C.  S.  H.,  343. 

Walker,    Felix,    75,    86,    123,    204, 

335. 
Walters,  Margaret  LaRue,  171,  175, 


Wartr 


fartman,  J.  W.,  336. 
Washington,  George,  231  seq. 
Watterson,  Col.  Henry,  29,  94,  102. 
Weik,  Jesse  W.,  quoted,  20,  57,  73, 
„  r?6,  107,  229,  305,  308,  320,  335- 
White,  Horace,  304,  335. 
Whitney,  Henry  C.,  335. 
William  the  Conqueror,  19,  187. 
Williams,  Charles,  383. 
Wilson,  Woodrow,  270. 
Wood,  William,  245. 


re  58153 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


